Rare Jones Empress Mk1 Circa 1880

Name: Rare Jones Empress Mk1 Circa 1880
SKU: 3121
Price: 1499.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

£1,499.00

Sewalot Collection Book-Feature Machine with Signed Author Copy!

A genuinely rare and important early Jones sewing machine, originally known as the Empress of India, with the name later shortened simply to the Empress. This particular example is an early Mk I model, distinguished by its extraordinary curved frame and exposed mechanism. We date it to approximately the late 1870s or circa 1880.

This machine formed part of the renowned Sewalot Collection and is the actual example photographed in Jones Sewing Machines – The First 100 Years by Alex Askaroff. It comes with a signed Author’s Proof Copy, numbered 5 of only 5 printed.

For approximately the last five years, it has occupied pride of place in the Askaroff family dining room, displayed centre stage above the mantelpiece. It has been a treasured feature of the collection rather than a machine hidden away in storage.

A Remarkable Early Jones

The Empress of India is one of the most distinctive and collectible machines produced by Jones. Its sweeping serpentine frame, ornate brass faceplate, exposed horizontal mechanism and elaborate gold decoration make it unlike almost anything that followed.

Stamped into the circular bed is:

James Steel & Co
Sewing Machine Factors
Cheltenham

James Steel & Co were Victorian sewing-machine dealers and suppliers. The marking provides a fascinating record of the machine’s original journey from the Jones factory to a regional retailer in Cheltenham, adding another layer to its already exceptional history.

Included with the Machine

Signed Author’s Proof Copy of Jones Sewing Machines – The First 100 Years, numbered 5 of 5
Genuine vintage Jones thimble
A copy of The Thimblewick Mysteries – The Poisoned Cup (such a good read)
VSMUK accessory box
Sewing-machine needles
Decorative miniature cigar-style needle holder
Thread
Buttons
VSMUK certificate of authenticity

This is far more than an attractive antique sewing machine. It is a documented book-feature example with Sewalot Collection provenance, a rare retailer’s marking and an accompanying author’s proof copy that cannot be replaced.

This is a machine for somebody who wants more than an attractive antique. It is for somebody who values the history, research and human story that travelled with it from Victorian Cheltenham, through the Sewalot Collection, into the pages of a book – and now to its next home.