Jacquard loom

A Jacquard Loom The Jacquard loom was invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in Lyon in 1801 to weave textiles, mainly silk. It stored weaving programmes in a series of punched cards. Usually, about 4,000 cards were used for each design, though a portrait of Jacquard [see below] needed 24,000 cards. I have seen one of these portraits [in the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris] and the quality is remarkable. Automatic looms were already in use but could only produce simple designs. Complex…

1752: Joseph Marie Jacquard is born in Lyon, France. The weaver and inventor would create the first programmable power loom, revolutionize the weaving industry and lay the foundation for modern data computation. Jacquard came from a family of silk weavers and went through a bankruptcy and the French Revolution before starting work on an automated, […]

A Jacquard Loom, invented 1801, considered a precursor to the modern computer. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacquard_loom

Punch card in an old jacquard loom.:

The Jacquard loom was a significant breakthrough in the history of textile production, an essential manufacturing tool of the Industrial Revolution--and an inspiration for modern computing.

The Jacquard Loom, an attachment that utilized punch cards to weave complex designs, was a forerunner of computer programming.

Philadelphia was among the first cities in Colonial America to begin the manufacturing of cotton. Because of this, Philadelphia became the first city to see the new invention of the Jacquard loom. The first Jacquard loom was imported by WIlliam H. Horstmann in 1825. WIlliam H. Horstmann & Sons, Manufacturers of Dress Trimmings and Military Goods was located on No. 50 N. Third St. in Philadelphia and began operations in 1815. Their specialty was narrow textile fabrics like upholstery…

Close-up showing a punch card used by the Jacquard loom, and a newer IBM punch card. This use of punch cards, which was introduced by the Jacquard loom, is what makes it not only of significance to the textile industry, but also to the early history of computing machinery. The concept of using punched cards for storing instructions was later incorporated, by Charles Babbage, into his design for the Analytical Engine. The Analytical Engine was never constructed, however. It was Herman…

Old Spitalfields hand loom for silk weaving, c.1840, fitted with Jacquard machine, c.1825, made by Guillotte, complete with lamp