The Jacquard Machine

The Jacquard Machine

The early 1800s saw the development of the Jacquard Machine. This revolutionary machine used a punch card mechanism to operate the loom and is credited as the basis of modern computer science. This complicated machine was added to the top of the weaving loom. A series of card with holes punched in them is continuously run through the machine. The Jacquard Machine is able to move individual warp threads up and down according to the pattern of holes punched into the cards. Cloth woven on a loom with a Jacquard Machine can have very intricate patterns. [SB] {MW}