Jacquard loom

The JC pontificates about technology An occasional series. Go Premium Technology Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Requests? Insults? We’d love to 📧 hear from you. Sign up for our newsletter.

The Jacquard loom was a power loom that simplified the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as brocade, damaskand matelassé with the use of punched cards. It was invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1804, and in the mid-seventies technology guru James Burke - a super cool seventies guy — hailed it as an early example of a computer.

See also

• Rumours of our demise are greatly exaggerated