Front:
Jan E.Matzeliger
Shoe Lasting Machine
No.274,207
Patented March 20,1883
LYNN,
SEP
MA
15
1991
01901
Fig1
29
Black HeritageUSA
68
36.
35
Back:
JAN MATZELIGER
First Day of Issue: September 15, 1991
First Issue Location: Lynn, Massachusetts
In 1883 Jan Ernst Matzeliger patented a machine which
mechanically shaped the upper portions of shoes, en-
abling manufacturers to mass-produce footwear at less
cost to the consumer. Born in 1852 to a Dutch father and
a black Surinamese mother, Matzeliger spent his child-
hood in Paramaribo, Surinam. In 1877 he moved to Lynn,
Massachusetts, finding employment in a local shoe fac-
tory. Matzeliger labored for more than six months to
produce a wooden model of a shoe-lasting machine. On
March 20, 1883, he received a patent for the invention,
and within two years his machine supplanted the
industry's hand methods. Unable to produce and market
the machine himself, Matzeliger sold the patent in 1885.
Four years later tuberculosis claimed Matzeliger, who
received only marginal proceeds from the great profits his
invention ultimately generated. The stamp and design on
this Maximum Card honor Jan Matzeliger, whose creative
genius refashioned the shoe industry and left an indelible
mark in the annals of Black History.
No. 91-71
©1991 The Maximum Card Collection
A division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
® Original painting for the Maximum Card by Gregory Rudd
