This needle threading machine was part of a larger donation which included a pan scale with a cantilevered arm (used for weighing thread) and an embroidery pattern. The items are from an embroidery shop that was owned and operated by Julius Boshko from 1931 to 1970. The shop was located behind his residence on Clark Street in South River. The needle threader was originally operated manually, but was subsequently motorized.

South River's embroidery industry thrived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The largest and best known manufacturer was the Hermann Aukam Company. Following a series of labor disputes and a strike which resulted in the deaths of 2 people, the factory was closed in 1918 and the company moved to Pennsylvania.