Primary sourceArtifact1775

Arkwright's Carding Machine

1775

A carding engine of the type patented by Richard Arkwright in 1775, used to prepare raw cotton before spinning.

This carding machine reflects Arkwright's 1775 patent for preparing cotton for spinning in his mills.

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A wooden-covered carding machine on a black iron frame, with a large drum of wooden slats, gears, and a crank handle, displayed on a blue-covered plinth in a museum. Spools of white thread sit to the right. — Carding machine of the type patented by Richard Arkwright, 1775. Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.

About this source

What it is

This is a carding machine of the kind patented by Richard Arkwright in 1775. It is held in the collection of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, which displays machines showing the whole cotton-mill process.

Why it matters

Carding machines mechanised the step of straightening and cleaning raw cotton fibres before they could be spun into thread. Combined with Arkwright's water frame, this kind of machine helped turn cotton processing from slow hand work into a continuous factory system.

Look closer

What do the drum and gears suggest about how the machine worked?
Why might combining carding and spinning in one mill have been important?
What is missing from this photograph that would help you understand how the machine was actually used?

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Arkwright Water Frame

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The Case of Mr. Richard Arkwright and Co.

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Engraved diagram of Arkwright-style spinning machinery: two upright frames with pivoted levers labeled b at top, a horizontal roller bar between them, and a wheel labeled c at right, with fine vertical lines below. Printed fleuron from a book.

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