This sewing machine accessory was donated with our collection's Wertheim sewing machine accessory box. The box contains twelve accessories, the instruction book and the receipt for the purchase of a Wertheim sewing machine. The receipt was written on July 23rd 1891 by the Wertheim distributor in Melbourne, Hugo Wertheim. His business was the Wertheim Sewing Machine and Hapsburg Piano Depot, trading at 173 Williams Street, Melbourne. The purchaser was Mrs Burrowes from Burrumbeet, Victoria, a district northwest of Ballarat. She paid £6-6 (six pounds and six shillings) in cash. The receipt was signed by H. Wertheim and the other signatory looks like John A. Cherry. Hugo Wertheim (1854-1919) was an agent for his father’s cousin Joseph Wertheim, a well-established sewing machine manufacturer in Germany. He was born in Lispenhausen, Germany, and migrated to Melbourne in October 1875, where he opened a merchandising business at 39 Flinders Lane East. He returned to Germany in 1885 to marry Joseph Wertheim's daughter Sophie Emilie. The couple came back to Melbourne, and Hugo quickly established a substantial business selling sewing machines, bicycles, pianos and other mechanical devices, under brands such as Wertheim, Electra, Planet, Griffin and Hapsburg. He exhibited at agricultural shows and in 1901 at the Pan American Exposition, Buffalo, United States of America. One of his staff was O. C. Beale, who later set up his own piano business in New South Wales. Hugo continued to own 25 per cent of one of Beale's companies, which became Wertheim's Queensland business. In 1908 Hugo Wertheim opened a piano factory in Richmond, Melbourne, aiming to produce 2000 pianos and player pianos a year, predominantly using Australian materials. In laying the foundation stone, Prime Minister Alfred Deakin observed that “few men with such opportunities for a life of ease would have embarked on such an enterprise” Hugo died of chronic hepatitis in 1919 at his home in South Yarra. His eldest son, Herbert Joseph (1886-1972), continued the business. The piano factory closed in 1935, becoming a Heinz food processing plant and in 1955, GTV Channel 9 studios and offices. The Wertheim Sewing Machine Company – Joseph Wertheim (1804–1899) founded the company in 1868 in Frankfurt, Germany. At this time Joseph was the Frankfurt city delegate for the Democratic Party. At its height, the Wertheim factory employed approximately 650 workers. The company used a trademark of a dwarf holding a hammer which is known to have been used until at least 1925, however in 1909 a Star of David was also registered. In 1870 a Wertheim subsidiary was formed in Barcelona, Spain. The business imported and sold complete machines, including the English Jones machine. Locals began calling the sewing machines “las rapidas”, and the business became known as “las casa de las rapidas”. In 1915 production began of a totally manufactured Spanish Wertheim machine. Wertheim in Germany continued manufacturing machines until 1932 when the Wertheim family fled to Spain. Despite converting to Christianity from Judaism, they feared the political unrest in Germany during that time. Wertheim Spain became Rapida SA and was then the sole manufacturer of the Wertheim machines. The factory was managed by Karl Wertheim under the alias Carlos Vallin.The sewing machine accessory is part of a donation that connected to domestic life in 1891 during the Victorian era. It is significant for connecting the Melbourne distributor of Wertheim sewing machines, Hugo Wertheim, to Victoria’s northwest district where the purchaser lived. It is also significant for connecting the Melbourne distributor to the importing of goods from the well-known German manufacturer of early domestic sewing machines, Joseph Wertheim. Small corder foot for a Wertheim sewing machine. Joseph Wertheim manufacturer, Germany, distributed by Hugo Wertheim William Street Melbourne. Circa 1891flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, wertheim, sewing machine, victorian era, sewing machine accessory, wertheim sewing machine and hapsburg piano depot, wertheim sewing machines, sewing machine foot, small corder foot, domestic machines, dressmaking, home industry, fashion

Singer electrical sewing machine in case. 'Featherweight' convertible Model 222K. Serial No. EL184522. Foot control contained in lid of case and attached by electrical cord. Small black sewing machine. Attachments contained in green cardboard box with 'Singer' in red on top. Black metal box with 17 attachments including owners' manual. A total of 21 items make up the setdomestic items, sewing, textile machinery

The vintage Hecla toaster is an iconic piece of Australian kitchen manufacturing history. Produced by Hecla Electrics Pty Ltd—founded in Melbourne in the early 1900s—these toasters were renowned for their durable, utilitarian design. The bread is placed inside the door, then closed to toast. Because the bread required a manual flip, they are widely remembered for demanding constant supervision to prevent burning. Unlike modern disposable appliances, vintage Heclas were engineered to last. They utilized easily replaceable Nichrome wire elements on mica sheets, allowing users to buy parts from local stores and fix them at home.A vintage Hecla chrome plated steel two slice electric toaster on a footed base. It has two side-loading flip-down doors on either side with two small round black bakelite handles. There is a lined pattern on each door. The top is flat with no toast rack. The bread is placed inside the door, then closed to toast. When toasted on one side the door is opened and the toast is manually flipped to toast the other side. It has a black and tan patterned cotton thread covered removable electrical cord which has three prongs on a black plug. On one side of the toaster is a metal protruding plug for the two pronged cord to attach to. The glowing heating element inside is called the Nichrome wire which is typically wrapped back and forth across thin, flat sheets of mica, a naturally occurring heat-resistant mineral that serves as an electrical insulator.'Volts Hecla Watts 230 Cat No. 14690. Submitted to Electrical Approvals Board Reference "AJ/Ao/01 SECV Manufactured in Australia Connection inscription - 'E. H. Dixon Cat. Earth. 5 Amps. 250V'. Three prong plug inscription - ' 53. 250V. 10A. On top 'RC' letters intertwined as a symbol.kitchen appliances, toasters, kitchenware, kitchen equipment

The vintage Speedie toaster is an iconic piece of Australian mid-century kitchenware. Manufactured by the Speedie Manufacturing Co. in Melbourne, these chrome-plated steel toasters were produced from the 1940s through the 1960s. They are renowned for their Art Deco design, "side-loading" flip-down doors, and lasting durability.design, "side-loading" flip-down doors, and lasting durability. Elmaco was an established Australian manufacturer of bakelite plugs, sockets, and electrical accessories. It has an authentic brown bakelite ELMACO plug (rated typically for 10A at 250V) Made in Australia.A vintage Art Deco silhouette style Speedie chrome plated steel two slice electric toaster on a footed base. It has two side-loading flip-down doors on either side with small black plastic or bakelite handles. The bread is placed inside the door, then closed to toast. When it is toasted, the door is opened and the toast flips to toast the other side. It has attached, a black and tan patterned cotton thread covered electrical cord which has three prongs on a black plug. On the top is a five rack stand to hold the cooked toast to keep it warm. There are four vents on each side of the body. The glowing heating element inside is called the nichrome wire which is typically wrapped back and forth across thin, flat sheets of mica, a naturally occurring heat-resistant mineral that serves as an electrical insulator.On the base of the toaster: 'V/Ac/T 5 F 240 volts 550 watts Cat No T 5F B' On the plug: 'ELMACO Made in Australia 24V 10 Amp'kitchen appliances, toasters, kitchenware, kitchen equipment