Reiland (1906-1971), who apparently took the lead in launching the sewing machine side project. if you’re keeping score at home.Īcross 30 years, Frank Reiland had more than 35 patents to his credit-mostly in the field of concrete reinforcement-and it was his brother, the aforementioned Arthur F. *George Weiland’s widowed father Henry had a sister named Mary who married a fella named Nick Reiland, and Mary and Nick’s sons were thus named Frank and Art Reiland. Reiland (1900-1973)-George’s cousin with the not-quite-identical but confusingly rhyming surname.*
There was no denying Gateway’s legitimacy on the far grander stage of Chicago building construction, however.Īlong with George Weiland, Sr. It’s worth noting that, outside of a supposed attempt at making roller skates (of which we’ve found no surviving evidence), Gateway’s precision toy line seemed pretty limited within the highly specific genre of mini sewing machines, so claiming the NP-1 was yet another offering from this toymaking juggernaut was probably a tad misleading. While we don’t have the original box for the Junior Model NP-1 in the museum collection, rare views of the vintage packaging reveal a disturbingly emotionless looking girl thinking to herself, “I can make my Dollie’s Clothes.”Īn additional tagline describes the lil’ red machine as “Another Precision Toy By Gateway Craftsmen.” Easy self-feeding to train small hands to stitch a neat seam.” Made of all metal, finished in shining nickel and bright colors of non-chipping enamel to look just like Mother’s. Teaches the important rudiments of sewing. “Every girl will want one to make dolly’s wardrobe, bedding, etc. “A precision machine that will work effectively for years,” claimed a 1948 listing in a toy catalog. They’re designed to operate much like the full-scale models, and built to last, as well-not exactly par-for-the-course with your average easy-bake oven. So this was no easy market to waltz in and corner.Īnd yet, whether due to Art Reiland’s engineering skills (he had cut his teeth as an accordion repairman) or just the talents of a workforce experienced with higher-stakes construction jobs, the Gateway Junior, which sold for less than 3 bucks, seemed to meet with substantial approval. The king of all sewing machine names, Singer, also made a child’s model.
(NY), and the Betsy Ross by the Gibralter MFG Co. It wasn’t innovative, exactly there were dozens of different mini sewing machines out on the market for the “junior housekeeper” in the ’50s, including the the “Sew Master” by KAYanEE (New York), the “Little Lady” by Elm City Toy Products (Connecticut), “Stitch Mistress” by Doane Sales Corp. In our estimation, though, the Gateway Junior sewing machine is an artifact worthy of some commemoration. Considering Gateway has had a hand in the construction of local landmarks like the Sears Tower and notorious overhauls like the modernization of Soldier Field, you can perhaps forgive the fact that a fleeting mid-century attempt at toy manufacturing hasn’t proven worthy of inclusion on their official corporate timeline. He and his son, George Weiland III, still operate the Gateway Construction Company in Melrose Park-carrying on the same sort of contract work the family’s been doing for almost 90 years.
#1930s c s jones hand crank sewing machine full
The toys were a side line to fill in our building products.”Īnd that’s about the full extent of Mr. “One of my uncles, Art Reiland, designed the toy sewing machine as well as roller skates, which we also made. “The original company manufactured supports for the reinforcing of steel on concrete decks,” says George Weiland, Jr., whose father George Sr. The seemingly random foray into kid stuffs didn’t come until after the rationing of World War II had concluded, and a newfound overabundance of sheet metal likely lent itself to unorthodox ideas for supplementary income. They were, instead, in the “real” steel game, focusing most of their resources on major construction projects around the Midwest. The Gateway Engineering Co., as the name would suggest, was not your traditional toy producer.
Produced only for a short time from the late 1940s into the 1950s, the Gateway line of toy sewing machines represents a case study in a business making the most out of its extraneous materials. “The Toy Sewing Machine that really sews!” -1948 advertisement for the Gateway Junior Model Made By: Gateway Engineering Company / Gateway Erectors, Inc., 233 W. Museum Artifact: Gateway Junior Model NP-1 Sewing Machine, c.
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