President James Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams Grant a Patent For an Improvement in Manufacturing
This was only the second American patent ever granted for carpeting
This includes the entire patent, not just the signed first page
The introduction of steam power and rail transportation in the 1820s and 1830s spurred the fledgling American textile industries, and led to a period of explosive growth. Part of the textile industry was carpeting, which prior to then was the domain...
This includes the entire patent, not just the signed first page
The introduction of steam power and rail transportation in the 1820s and 1830s spurred the fledgling American textile industries, and led to a period of explosive growth. Part of the textile industry was carpeting, which prior to then was the domain of workers at home or in small shops working looms by hand.
William A. Prince was an English carpeting entrepreneur, who moved to New York and represented English firms in the New World. He was also a carpeting innovator who saw the future of carpets was in manufacturing, and in 1823 received a U.S. patent for carpeting improvements. This was just the second U.S. patent ever given for carpeting.
Document signed by James Monroe as President and John Q. Adams as Secretary of State, Washington, February 12, 1823, granting a patent to William A. Prince for “new and useful improvements in the manufacture of what is called Ingrain, English Ingrain, Scotch, Kidderminster, or American Ingrain Carpeting of all widths.” The blue ribbon and seal are still present, and the document is countersigned by Attorney General William Wirt.
The entire patent is here, not just the front page. It includes a lengthy statement of Prince on the verso detailing the invention. It would have been this description that the patent officials took into consideration in determining to grant the patent. It is a fine memento of the early years of American textile manufacturing.
Mechanics Magazine in England took note of the same patent granted to Prince soon after in that country, reporting that Prince intended to market the manufactured product as Prince’s Patent Union Carpet.
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