Victorian Brass Sewing Bird – From the Anne Eisenhower Collection

Victorian brass sewing bird dating to approximately the 1850s–1870s. The screw clamp tightens securely, and the spring that opens the beak works smoothly. Both original pin cushions are missing. The clamp carries a catalog number from the collection of Anne Eisenhower, its previous owner.

Sewing birds are clamps designed to assist with hand-sewing by holding fabric in place. Sewing birds became popular in the 1850s as a helpful “third hand” for seamstresses and were often given to young women as part of their dowries.

About Anne Eisenhower (1949–2022)
Anne Eisenhower was one of America’s most admired interior designers and a noted philanthropist. Her work appeared in leading design publications, and she was named to Architectural Digest’s AD100 in 1990. The granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Doud Eisenhower, Anne was known for her generosity of spirit and her commitment to organizations such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Gettysburg Foundation, and the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C. She was an accomplished designer and a woman of grace, creativity, and compassion.