Item 863: Sucking thread through the shuttle eye, Draper Company, 1911

Printed in 1974 from glass plate negative no.B863. February 11, 1911. Image depicts an unidentified male operative demonstrating how mill operatives would suck the thread through the eye of a shuttle. The man holds the shuttle to his mouth and draws the thread out; mill operatives would draw the thread through their mouths to help smooth it and make it easier to draw through the eye of the shuttle. However, sucking on cotton thread could eventually cause lung problems and did so in many mill operatives. The unidentified man wears work clothes: a stained jacket over a white shirt and tie. He also wears wire-rimmed glasses. The demonstration takes place in an unidentified mill; the battery of a loom can be seen on the left. He is presumably a Draper Company employee. See also Item 862, in this folder, for another image of this man; and Box 15, Folder 2, Item 870 through Item 874 for images demonstrating this procedure using a skeleton. As the Draper Company manufactured textile machinery, primarily looms, and did not manufacture cloth, it is unclear what relation this photograph has to Draper unless it was to demonstrate something with their looms. 25.25 x 20.25 cm.