Josephine Cochrane(1839 — 1913)
Josephine Cochrane
États-Unis
6 min read
Josephine Cochrane was an American inventor who designed the first truly functional mechanical dishwasher, patented in 1886. A well-to-do woman from Illinois, she devised a machine using water jets to protect her porcelain dishes from breakage caused by her servants.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born in 1839 in Ohio (United States), into a family that included engineers.
- Designed and patented in 1886 the first truly functional mechanical dishwasher using water jets.
- Presented her machine at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, where it won a prize.
- Founded a company to market her invention, initially to hotels and restaurants.
- Died in 1913; her company would give rise to the KitchenAid brand.
Works & Achievements
The first truly functional dishwashing machine, based on spraying water rather than scrubbing. It is the direct ancestor of the modern dishwasher.
The intellectual property title protecting her invention, which allowed her to manufacture and sell it legally.
The company founded by Cochrane to produce and sell her machines—a remarkable feat for a woman entrepreneur of the era.
A version of the machine adapted for large establishments, which became her first real commercial success thanks to their need for large-scale washing.
An award-winning public demonstration that brought her invention to international attention and earned it technical recognition.
Anecdotes
Exasperated at seeing her servants chip her precious china while washing dishes by hand, Josephine Cochrane is said to have declared: “If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I'll do it myself!” She then shut herself away in the shed behind her house to design the device.
Her machine relied on an idea that was novel for the time: instead of scrubbing dishes with brushes, it used the pressure of jets of hot, soapy water. Cochrane carefully measured each plate, cup, and saucer to build custom wire racks that held the dishes in place within a turning wheel.
Widowed in 1883, Josephine Cochrane found herself deep in debt and had to turn her invention into a livelihood. She obtained her patent in 1886 and founded her own company — a very rare move for a woman in the 19th century.
Her dishwasher won a prize at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, praised for its sturdy design. Her first big customers were not housewives but hotels and restaurants, which had to wash enormous quantities of dishes quickly.
Cochrane's company outlived her and was later absorbed by a firm that gave rise to the KitchenAid brand, still known today. The home dishwasher, however, only became common in households in the mid-20th century, long after her death.
Primary Sources
Document describing a dishwashing machine in which the dishes are held in racks mounted on a wheel and sprayed by jets of water projected up from the bottom of the basin.
“If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I'll do it myself.”
The dishwashing machine made by the Garis-Cochran Manufacturing Co. is honored by the Exposition's jury for its mechanical design and durability.
Key Places
Region in northeastern Ohio where Josephine Garis was born in 1839. She grew up in a family marked by technical ingenuity.
Town where Cochrane lived with her husband and where she designed her dishwasher in a shed behind her house. This is where her invention and her company were born.
Site of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, where Cochrane's machine was displayed and awarded a prize before a large international audience.
Major industrial city where Cochrane built up her business and where she died in 1913.