By Tamara Shiloh
The world of inventions has historically been dominated by men. This holds true especially for patented inventions. More than 5 million patents have been issued in the United States since 1790. Among them, the mothers of invention are barely represented.
Ellen Eglin (before 1849–after 1890) worked as a housekeeper and washwoman during a time when clothing was washed by hand and hung outdoors to dry. Wringing the water from garments and bedding could be slow, heavy work, making the days long, and Eglin sought efficiency.
In 1888, Eglin invented a clothes wringer, making the job of hanging and drying easier. The invention was an improvement to existing clothes wringers, as the speed of the rollers could be increased or decreased “by a suitable system of spur-gearing.” Clothing and heavier bedding could then be washed and dried faster by first feeding them through two rollers to wring out the water.
Despite the need for the invention and its potential success of being marketed across the country, Eglin chose to step back. For $18 (about $500 today), she sold the patent to Cyrenus Wheeler Jr., who she described as “a white person interested in manufacturing the product.”
During an April 1890 interview with Woman Inventor, a short-lived publication that brought attention to women inventors and the issues they faced, Eglin spoke of her fears. “I am Black and if it was known that a Negro woman patented the invention, white ladies would not buy the wringer. I was afraid to be known because of my color in having it introduced into the market. That is the only reason.”
Beyond the $18 received from Wheeler, Eglin received no further profits from her invention. She would then continue to work as a government worker for most of her life.
Little has been recorded about Eglin’s early life, which is common among many early Black women inventors. She is unlisted in 1850–1870 census records. Later records show her to have been born in Washington, D.C., around 1849, although some other sources disagree, listing her birth in Maryland in 1836. However, 1880 census records list her residence as Massachusetts, but the Washington, D.C., directory lists her there that same year as well.
Later census records show Eglin as either a servant or a charwoman. In 1894, she is listed as a clerk in the census office, but by 1898, she is again listed as a domestic.
Eglin, still hopeful, told Woman Inventor that she was working on another invention, and that she had “money to push it after the patent is issued to me, and the invention will be known as a Black woman’s.”
For reasons unknown, Eglin never went on to register any further inventions.
According to journalist Max Peterson, “Reliance on patent records for understanding the history of invention obscures the contributions of all women, especially African American women.” Had Eglin not spoken to Woman Inventor, she may have remained unknown.
Tamara Shiloh
Tamara Shiloh has published the first two books in her historical fiction chapter book series,
Just Imagine…What If There Were No Black People in the World is about African American inventors, scientists and other notable Black people in history. The two books are
Jaxon’s Magical Adventure with Black Inventors and Scientists and
Jaxon and Kevin’s Black History Trip Downtown. Tamara Shiloh has also written a book a picture book for Scholastic,
Cameron Teaches Black History, that will be available in June, 2022.
Tamara Shiloh’s other writing experiences include: writing the Black History column for the Post Newspaper in the Bay area, Creator and Instruction of the black History Class for Educators a professional development class for teachers and her non-profit offers a free Black History literacy/STEM/Podcast class for kids 3d – 8th grade which also includes the Let’s Go Learn Reading and Essence and tutorial program. She is also the owner of the Multicultural Bookstore and Gifts, in Richmond, California,
Previously in her early life she was the /Editor-in-Chief of
Desert Diamonds Magazine, highlighting the accomplishments of minority women in Nevada; assisting with the creation, design and writing of a Los Angeles-based, herbal magazine entitled
Herbal Essence; editorial contribution to
Homes of Color; Editor-in-Chief of
Black Insight Magazine, the first digital, interactive magazine for African Americans; profile creations for sports figures on the now defunct PublicFigure.com; newsletters for various businesses and organizations; and her own Las Vegas community newsletter,
Tween Time News, a monthly publication highlighting music entertainment in the various venues of Las Vegas.
She is a member of:
- Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
- Richmond Chamber of Commerce
- Point Richmond Business Association
- National Association of Professional Women (NAPW)
- Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA)
- California Writers Club-Berkeley & Marin
- Richmond CA Kiwanis
- Richmond CA Rotary
- Bay Area Girls Club
Tamara Shiloh, a native of Northern California, has two adult children, one grandson and four great-grand sons. She resides in Point Richmond, CA with her husband, Ernest.
www.multiculturalbookstore.com
