the history of toilet paper

greenfire

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:14 pm

http://nobodys-perfect.com/vtp......html

It's amazing how often we get some variation of the questions, "When was toilet paper invented?", "Who invented toilet paper?", and "What did people use before toilet paper was invented?" Here are a few of the highlights in the evolution of toilet paper that we've compiled from various sources. Some links to more comprehensive articles follow.

What did people use before toilet paper? Well, just use your imagination: grass, leaves, fur, mussell shells, corncobs, stinging nettles... okay, maybe not that last, at least not more than once. The ancient Greeks used stones and pieces of clay; ancient Romans used sponges on the ends of sticks, kept in jugs filled with salty water. Mideasterners commonly used the left hand, which is supposedly still considered unclean in the Arabian region.
"Official" toilet paper - that is, paper which was produced specifically for the purpose - dates back at least to the late 14th Century, when Chinese emperors ordered it in 2-foot x 3-foot sheets.
Corncobs and pages torn from newspapers and magazines were commonly used in the early American West. The Sears catalogue was well-known in this context, and even produced such humorous spinoffs as the "Rears and Sorebutt" catalogue. The Farmer's Almanac had a hole in it so it could be hung on a hook and the pages torn off easily.
Joseph C. Gayetty of New York started producing the first packaged toilet paper in the U.S. in 1857. It consisted of pre-moistened flat sheets medicated with aloe and was named "Gayetty’s Medicated Paper". Gayetty's name was printed on every sheet.
Rolled and perforated toilet paper as we're familiar with today was invented around 1880. Various sources attribute it to the Albany Perforated Wrapping (A.P.W.) Paper Company in 1877, and to the Scott Paper company in 1879 or 1890. On a side note, the Scott Company was too embarrassed to put their name on their product, as the concept of toilet paper was a sensitive subject at the time, so they customized it for their customers... hence the Waldorf Hotel became a big name in toilet paper.

Here's an 1886 Albany Perforated Wrapping (A.P.W.) Paper Company ad for perforated, medicated, rolled toilet paper.

In 1935, Northern Tissue advertised "splinter-free" toilet paper. Yep, you read that right; early paper production techniques sometimes left splinters embedded in the paper. And you thought you had it tough!
In 1942, St. Andrew's Paper Mill in Great Britain introduced two-ply toilet paper
Amnerica experienced its first toilet paper shortage in 1973.
The Virtual Toilet Paper Museum opened its virtual doors in 1999.

amother

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:19 pm

This is very interesting ... but why would you be so interested in researching this topic???

greenfire

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:21 pm

toilet paper is something people take for granted

Blue jay

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:24 pm

Fascinating!

I love learning about things like this!
Thanks for sharing!

Hurray for toilet paper!

Happy18

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:24 pm

Interesting.

yo'ma

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:26 pm

Who's thinking of Seinfeld now Smile

? George to be more accurate.

imasinger

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:28 pm

I'm sure NPers can chime in about letting go of TP and switching to "family cloth". I enjoyed putting my kids in cloth diapers, but was never willing to take that next step.

BlueRose52

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:41 pm

Weird topic, but once we're on it... I recently learned that the trend of using baby wipes (or moist wipes) instead of toilet paper is very problematic in terms of the effect on plumbing. Those kinds of paper do not dissolve like toilet paper does and end up wreaking havoc on septic systems and sewers. Google "wipes sewer" to get an idea of how bad it is.

greenfire

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:43 pm

wipes, tampons, and the such should be disposed of in a trash can ... never flushed - anybody who has ever snaked their own sewer pipes would appreciate same - but that's way off tangent

BlueRose52

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:46 pm

Speaking of Seinfeld....

And here's where Elaine gets her revenge...

Last edited by BlueRose52 on Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:52 pm; edited 1 time in total

greenfire

Sat, Dec 21 2013, 10:51 pm

oh yes - I recall that episode well ...