Harriet Tracy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harriet Tracy
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| Born |
Harriet Ruth Brisbane
December 6, 1834 Charleston, NC.
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| Died | May 30, 1918 (84 years old) Brentford, England
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| Nationality | American |
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Notable work
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Tracy Gravity Safety Elevator |
Harriet Ruth Brisbane Tracy (December 6, 1834 – May 30, 1918) was a prolific American inventor. Tracy is credited with receiving patents for at least 27 inventions between 1868 and 1915, including six for elevators and seventeen for sewing machines. Ten of the those patents came during a very productive period from 1890-1893. Tracy displayed several of her inventions at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. According to her obituary she was also "gifted as a writer of verse and prose", contributing frequently to "magazines and periodicals."
Early life
Born Harriet Ruth Brisbane in Charleston, South Carolina to William Brisbane (1809-1860) and Julia Hall Lowndes (1811-1847). The noted abolitionist William Henry Brisbane (1806-1878) was her first cousin once removed.
Inventions
Tracy's first patent, was for a crib attachment for bedsteads in 1868. In addition to sewing machine and elevator patents, she also received a patent for a cooking stove, and a fire escape, which she described in her 1883 patent application as a "simple, cheap, durable, compact, and efficient fire-escape ladder which may be folded into a small compass."
Tracy's most well-known invention was an elevator patent which she received in 1892 and was subsequently called the "Tracy Gravity Safety Elevator." It had a special safety mechanism that slowed down the elevator's decent in case of a power outage. It was installed and used in the Woman's Building at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago to take visitors up and down to the dining facilities on the rooftop. Her gravity elevator was commercialized in New York City.
In addition to her elevator at the exposition, Tracy also displayed several of her sewing machine inventions in the Liberal Arts Building. Her most popular was the "Tracy Lock-Stitch and Chain-Stitch Sewing Machine" which held her newly invented rotary shuttle mechanism and could hold up to 1,000 yards of thread.
Personal life
In 1860 she married Cadwallader Colden Tracy (1830-1921), a baseball player who had been a member the New York Knickerbockers in 1854. From about 1860-1890 she lived on Staten Island, New York in the village of New Brighton. Tracy and her husband had four daughters. They moved to Paris, France, around 1890 and then to London, England.
Death and Legacy
She died in 1918 in Brentford.
Tracy was well known for her inventions during the late nineteenth century and was one of the first prominent American female innovators. In the nineteenth century, woman made up just 1% of all inventors who received United States patents. Unfortunately, little is known about most of these women, but Tracy is an exception. Tracy received much notoriety and fame for her innovations. So much so that many of her inventions received extensive public acclaim in Chicago newspapers. Many of Tracy’s inventions were also showcased in expositions, such as her lock-stitch and chain-stitch sewing machine which was shown at Chicago Columbian Exposition, in the Liberal Arts Building. Despite being renowned, in her time for her innovations, she has mostly been forgotten about in modern times; there are very few books or other materials dedicated to her accomplishments. Despite this, Harriet Tracy's work in her field created a legacy that goes far beyond the span of her life.
Moreover, Harriet Tracy is an inspiring figure for women and girls who are looking into pursuing STEM careers.
Harriet Tracy and her work exemplified what it means to "break the glass ceiling". She understood that the field she worked in, like many other fields at the time, was male-dominated, but she worked tirelessly and earned a name for herself in the industry.
Collections
Patent Model - Improved Crib-Attachment for Bedsteads, February 25, 1868, Hagley Museum and Library
