Jan Ernst Matzeliger 1852-1859

Inventor
“Shoe Making Machine” Through a process
called “Lasting
By: Britannica.com

1 Sometimes the greatest inventions are those which simplify necessary tasks. Such is the case with Jan
Matzeliger – the man who made it possible during the Industrial Revolution for ordinary citizens to purchase
shoes.

2 Jan Matzeliger was born in Dutch Guiana (now known as Surinam) in South America. His father was a Dutch
engineer and his mother was born in Dutch Guiana and was of African ancestry. At an early age, Jan showed a
remarkable ability to repair complex machinery and often did so when accompanying his father to a factory.
When he turned 19, he decided to venture away from home to explore other parts of the world. In 1873, he
arrived in the United States.

3 A few years later he became an apprentice at a shoe making company. Unfortunately, no machines existed
that could attach the upper part of a shoe to the sole. As such, attaching the upper part of a shoe to the sole had
to be done by hand. The people who were able to sew the parts of the shoe together were called “hand lasters”
and expert ones were able to produce about 50 pairs of shoes in a 10-hour workday. Hand lasters were confident
that they would continue to be able to demand high sums of money for their services saying “… no matter if the
sewing machine is a wonderful machine. No man can build a machine that will last shoes and take away the job
of the laster, unless he can make a machine that has fingers like a laster – and that is impossible.” Jan
Matzeliger decided they were wrong.

4 After working all day Matzeliger took classes at night to learn English. Soon, he was able to read well enough
to study books on physics and mechanical science. This enabled him to a number of inventions. Lacking
sufficient money, he was unable to patent these inventions and watched helplessly as other people claimed to
have created the devises and received the financial rewards they brought. Matzeliger did not despair over these
situations because he was already thinking of a more important invention – the shoe laster.
5 Soon, Matzeliger began putting together a crude working model of his invention. Lacking the proper
materials, he used whatever scraps he could find, including cigar boxes, discarded pieces of wood, scrap wire,
nails and paper. After six months, he felt he was on the right track but knew he needed better materials in order
to take the next steps.

6 Although he attempted to keep his invention a secret, people found out, including the expert hand lasters he
was trying to “compete” with. These people criticized and ridiculed him and tried to dissuade him pursuing his
goal.
7 Matzeliger kept working at his invention until it was perfected. At this point he applied for a patent. Because
no one could believe that anyone could create a machine which could duplicate the work of expert lasters, the
patent office dispatched a representative to Lynn, Massachusetts to see the device in action. In March 1883, the
United States Patent Office issued a patent to Jan Matzeliger for his “Lasting Machine.” His invention could
produce up to 700 pairs of shoes each day (as compared to 50 per day for a hand laster.) His extraordinary
efforts revolutionized the shoe industry.

8 Sadly, Matzeliger would only enjoy his success for a short time, as he was afflicted with tuberculosis in 1886
and died on August 24, 1889 at the age of 37. As a result of his work, shoe manufacturing capabilities increased
as did efficiency. This allowed for lower prices for consumers and more jobs for workers. Matzeliger left
behind a legacy of tackling what was thought to be an impossible task – making shoes affordable for the
masses.
Finding Evidence Questions
Directions: Close Read the text. Then read each question carefully. For each question, go back to the text and
highlight the clues to answer the question. Answer each question in a complete sentence and state which
paragraph you found your answer in.

1. When and where was he born?

2. How did he come up with his idea for his invention?

3. What obstacles did he face and what methods did he use to make his invention? RESPOND USING
RACE

4. How did his invention revolutionize the shoe making industry?