Talk:Helen Blanchard

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This article was the subject of an educational assignment in 2014 Q3. Further details were available on the "Education Program:California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo/ES 350 (Fall 2014)" page, which is now unavailable on the wiki.

Helen Blanchard is considered one of the greatest inventors of the industrial era, yet why is there not nearly enough information on her life and accomplishments as a crucial women in the science field? After doing some research I have found that most of Blanchard's important details are in the previously made Wikipedia article, however there are some gaps. I propose that we provide some details into her life that are not already on the Wikipedia page. "Blanchard was born into a wealthy family in Maine. Always mechanically minded, Blanchard's inventive skills came in handy after her family lost all of its fortune. Her inventions pertain largely to the improvement and efficiency of sewing machines and have ranked among the most remarkable mechanical contrivances of the age. Her first patent in 1873 for inventing a sewing machine that sewed zigzag stitches or "over-sewed" fabric edges. Although Blanchard filed patents between 1873-1875, the machine capable of sewing the zigzag stitch is frequently attributed to the Necchi and Pfaff companies which postdate Blanchard's machines.^[1]"

I also propose that Blachard's page is divided into sections based off of her inventions, not where she lived or moved to. For example, change "First inventions and move to Boston" to just "First Inventions." Her move to Boston can still be included in this section, but it does not need to be included in the title. I would change "Philadelphia and New York- late 1870s-1890s" to "Blanchard Overseaming Company," to make the page more about her accomplishments, not about a small detail such as where she was living.

When compared to her peers alive during this time period, Blanchard lacks a lot of important information and details on her Wikipedia page. Why is this? Have we, as society, simply overlooked her importance? Do we have no access to the correct historical information? Do historians not care because she is female?

KD1004 (talk) 21:56, 15 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Proposed Edit[edit]

I would like to propose a few edits to the page. The most length of these edits is adding a section specifically for a summary of several of Helen's patents, of which I have outlined 12 separate patents^[2]. Having these available with her general information can showcase the importance of these inventions and give a more clear timeline for their creation.

I would also like to add a few more details to her Early Life regarding her family, such that it becomes: "Blanchard was born in Portland, Maine on October 25, 1840 to a wealthy family. Her father was Nathaniel Blanchard, a shipowner and businessman; her mother was Phoebe Buxton Blanchard. Helen was one of six children; two other daughters Louise Phobe, and Persis E., and three sons David H., Augustus, and Albus. Helen demonstrated an inventive turn of mind at an early age, but did not receive her first patent until she was over thirty, after the fall of her father’s business. There is no indication that she received any mechanical or technical education, despite her patents being involved mostly in these subjects^[3]."

Also, the link in the previous edit proposition no longer works, so it's not possible to check the source.

Regarding the lack of information on Blanchard, my guess as to why such a notable inventor would be left out of mainstream information would most likely be because of her being a woman in a time when women were merely an extension of men and not their own individuals. Ges1311RIT (talk) 18:09, 17 November 2015 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ https://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/inventors/blanchard.html
^ Blanchard, Helen A. Improvement in Sewing Machines. Helen A Blanchard, assignee. Patent US141987. 19 Aug. 1873. Print.
^ Stanley, Autumn. Mothers and Daughters of Invention: Notes for a Revised History of Technology. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers U, 1995. Print.

New Edit[edit]

I have edited the article to match my proposition. I added more information about Helen's family and a few small facts about her life throughout the article. I have also added a substantial piece of information regarding twelve of Helen's inventions, all of which have direct citations to the patents. Ges1311RIT (talk) 16:29, 24 November 2015 (UTC)[reply]

[1] ttps://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/inventors/blanchard.html

[2] Blanchard, Helen A. Improvement in Sewing Machines. Helen A Blanchard, assignee. Patent US141987. 19 Aug. 1873. Print.

[3] Stanley, Autumn. Mothers and Daughters of Invention: Notes for a Revised History of Technology. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers U, 1995. Print.

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