Sarah Boone

Why This Person Is Included

Sarah Boone was born into slavery and became a dressmaker in New Haven, Connecticut, after emancipation. Her 1892 ironing board patent addressed a practical problem that flat boards could not: ironing the curved sections of women's sleeves and garments without distortion. She is one of the first Black women to receive a U.S. patent.

Historical Significance

Boone's ironing board patent improved a tool used in millions of American households by solving the geometric problem of pressing curved fabric sections. Her solution — a narrower board with a curved surface — addressed what dressmakers like herself knew from daily practice that flat board designers had not.

The Story

Sarah Boone was born in Craven County, North Carolina, around 1832, into slavery. After emancipation, she settled in New Haven, Connecticut, and worked as a dressmaker — developing deep practical knowledge of the problems in pressing women's garments, particularly the curved sections of sleeves and bodices that flat ironing boards distorted.

Her 1892 patent described an improved ironing board with a narrower, curved design specifically engineered to press women's sleeves and the bodies of women's garments without distortion. The design allowed the board to be inserted into a sleeve or curved garment section, providing a firm pressing surface for sections that earlier flat boards could not address properly. She is one of the first Black women to receive a United States patent.

Sources

1.Sarah Boone. U.S. Patent No. 473,563. 1892. USPTO.↗