Prototype. Chapter text drafted from the research notes and not yet checked at the archives. Images awaiting permission are marked.

Erastus Bigelow's power looms: ingrain (c. 1839–41), then Brussels and Wilton (1845–51)

Research finding · not yet checked at the source

Date: 1839–1851
Themes: Woven carpet

View at the source Cited in chapter 3, note 33

Cite this source

“Erastus Bigelow’s power looms: ingrain (c. 1839–41), then Brussels and Wilton (1845–51).” Research note. britannica.com/biography/Erastus-Brigham-Bigelow.

Research notes

The Wilton loom was a modified Brussels loom. Sources tie the looms to cheaper production (replacing male weavers with lower-paid women and boys) and to output doubling, then tripling by 1850. Dates vary by source (1839, 1841, 1843 for ingrain).