I'm so thrilled to find all of you interested researchers! Perhaps you already know this, but here's some more information I found today.
Here are some photos of other Queens that I was shown:
http://needlebar.org/cm/thumbnails.php?album=327
As you can see, I have the same exact machine as itowcrab (theirs has a slightly later serial number than mine, 28356 - mine is 23311), cabinet and all. So I'm willing to guess that the cabinet is original! If the cabinet is any clue to the maker, I would guess White -- they also have circles in the decoration of the treadle itself.
Also, I got an email from Katie Farmer, of the White Sewing Machine Research Project, that says:
These fiddle base White machines were made from
approximately 1893 through 1920. Yours makes twenty-two that have been reported out of
the 87,168 that had been manufactured by 1920. Unfortunately, we have a very incomplete
dating series at this point. It begins at 1910 with 84,400 and shows that there were many
years with no production. Before 1910, we have only a payment receipt donated by the late
Eleanor Beck dated 14 December 1901 for a Queen with a serial number of 60,740. So you
can see that every report of a fiddle base White is important and that any dated paperwork
is critical. These machines have been reported with the following badge names: Queen, the
most common; Grand Union; Stockman; and Sterling. Your Queen is the third earliest fiddle
base White to have been reported. The sole Sterling is the earliest.
I would also really appreciate anyone's advice on finding a foot for this machine. It appears to screw onto the bottom of the rod (?) as opposed to the back, like on newer machines. I've seen other early Whites with this kind of foot, but I'm afraid of buying one online just to get it in the mail and find it doesn't fit!