1-148-271 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Edmund Cartwright, British clergyman and inventor of the power loom, 19th century. In 1785, Cartwright (1743-1823) invented the mechanical loom, the first machine to make practical the weaving of wide cotton cloth. This became known as the parent of the modern power loom. Cartwright also invented a wool combing machine in 1789; a steam engine which used alcohol as fuel in 1797; and he assisted Robert Fulton with his experiments to develop steam navigation.