Originally Posted by
haylillan
steveH why the kidney shaped cut out on the back? the date on mine is 1893. thanks
That's an oiling access cover Esther. The kidney shape on earlier models (was changed to round later on) is probably because it's prettier. My 1891 VS2 also has a fiddle base, which is prettier than the rectangle. I'd be guessing but Singer may well have changed to simpler shapes to save money on tooling.
SteveH may know more about this.