Antique Paint-Decorated Brass Sewing Bird with Steel Clamp

An especially beautiful 19th-century sewing bird, with a warm brass body and faded painted decoration that has developed a lovely patina over time. The bird’s beak opens and closes with the tail, while the steel clamp beneath is secured to a tabletop with its long threaded screw. The painted decoration on the underside and clamp remains remarkably well preserved, offering a lovely contrast to the softly worn surface of the bird itself. The form closely follows the 1853 sewing-bird design patented by Charles Waterman, whose examples are known in both plain and painted brass.

Sewing birds were designed to give a seamstress an extra “hand” while working. By pressing the tail feathers, the beak opened through the internal steel spring, allowing fabric to be held securely while the seamstress maintained tension with one hand and guided her needle and thread with the other. I love the way this one combines the practicality of an early sewing tool with the beauty of its painted brass construction. The original accessory mounted above the bird is missing, as shown in the photographs, and we have left the piece in its untouched condition.

• Measures 6" x 4" x 2"