![]() A hook could be attached to a number of threads to create a continuous, intricate design. The sequence of raised and lowered threads created the pattern. The hook raised or lowered the harness that carried and guided the thread. Chains of cards allowed sequences of any length to be constructed, not limited by the cards’ size.Įach hole position in the card corresponded to a hook, which could either be raised or lowered depending on whether the hole was punched. Multiple rows of holes were punched on each card, with one complete card corresponding to one row of the design. The Jacquard loom, in contrast, was controlled by a chain of punch cards laced together in a sequence. The state-of the art loom at that time was one in which the harnesses holding the threads were raised or lowered by foot pedals on a treadle, leaving the weaver free to operate the machine with his hands. Thus, any loom that uses the attachment is called a Jacquard loom. Jacquard did not invent a whole new loom but a head that attaches to the loom and allows the weaving machine to create intricate patterns. ![]() The social and psychological impact of a machine that could replace human labor was immense. It took Jacquard several more years to perfect the device and make it commercially successful. He also was paid a royalty for each machine sold. The government of France soon nationalized the loom (or considered it government property) and compensated Jacquard with a pension to support him while he continued to innovate. Patterns that had been painstaking to produce and prone to error could now be mass-produced quickly and flawlessly, once programmed and punched on the cards. ![]() A skilled weaver and an assistant, or draw boy, chose by hand which warps (the lengthwise threads held under tension on the loom) to pull up so the weft (the thread inserted at right angles) could be pulled through the warps to create a pattern.Īt an industrial exhibition in Paris in 1801, Jacquard demonstrated something truly remarkable: a loom in which a series of cards with punched holes (one card for each row of the design) automatically created complex textile patterns. He received no formal schooling but tinkered with ways to improve the mechanical textile looms of the day.Īt that time, two people were needed on each loom. Joseph Marie Charles Jacquard of France was born into a family of weavers in 1752. This led to the mass production of cloth with intricate designs. The Jacquard Loom was the first loom that automatically created complex textile patterns. THE INSTITUTE This month The Institute is focusing on how technology is transforming the garment industry.
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