The machine, in one form or another, has become such a household necessity that we tend to forget the wonder and magic of the days when it was just beginning to earn its place by the hearth. The first suave ambassador from the court of mechanical efficiency to woo and win Grandma’s heart was the redoubtable sewing machine. Whirring and purring in the parlour, its virtuoso performance beguiled both young and old. Without commentary.