From Broken China to Patent: How a Determined Woman Invented the Dishwasher
Inspired by servants breaking her inherited porcelain, Josephine Cochrane invented a dishwasher that used water pressure rather than brushes. Her invention debuted at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, hailed as the invention of the century and the only device in the tech pavilion created by a woman.
At the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, the 'Garis-Cochran' dishwasher drew widespread attention and was hailed as the invention of the century. It was the only device in the vast technology pavilion created by a woman—Josephine Cochrane.
Cochrane decided to automate dishwashing after noticing that servants regularly chipped and broke her family's heirloom porcelain. Following her husband's death, she faced severe financial hardship, but that did not stop her. In a shed, with the help of a hired mechanic, she built a prototype of the machine. Unlike other dishwashing machines of the era that used brushes to scrub dishes, Cochrane's invention relied on water pressure to wash away dirt, similar to modern dishwashers.
Inventing something was only half the battle. In the 19th century, a widow without a male escort faced immense challenges in convincing consumers of her invention's usefulness. Cochrane recalled how difficult it was to cross a hotel lobby alone to present her device to the management of the Palmer House hotel. 'You cannot imagine what it meant in those days for a woman to cross a hotel lobby alone. I had never been anywhere without my husband or father—the lobby seemed miles wide. I thought I would faint with every step, but I did not,' she said. As a reward, she received an order worth $800. Soon after, Cochrane founded her own company.
