The big brown paper bag has a long, interesting history.
Brown paper bags have become a fixture in our daily lives: we use them to carry groceries home, tote our department store purchases, and pack our kids’ lunches. Retailers use them as a blank canvas for their branded product packaging. Creative trick-or-treaters even wear them as masks for Halloween. It’s easy to forget that someone, long ago, had to invent them!
As with the best inventions, the paper bag filled a need people didn’t know they had. Before the paper bag, baskets, bowls, and other containers were the main storage solution in every home and store. You can imagine, then, that the creation of a convenient, disposable container was revolutionary. Business owners could stock stacks of these bags at their stores, and their low cost and ease of use made them widely accessible for shoppers of even modest means.
So, just how did this seemingly ordinary invention earn its place in the hearts (and hands) of the everyday consumer? A glimpse back at the history and evolution of the paper bag offers a clue.
For centuries, sacks made of jute, canvas, and burlap were the primary method of holding and moving goods throughout the British Empire. The main benefit of these materials was their sturdy, durable nature, but their production proved both time-consuming and expensive. Paper, on the other hand, could be produced at a much lower cost, and soon became the preeminent material for portable bags along trade routes.
Since its introduction in the 1800s, the paper bag has undergone numerous upgrades thanks to a few clever innovators. In 1852, Francis Wolle invented the first machine to mass-produce paper bags. While Wolle’s paper bag looked more like a large mailing envelope than the grocery store mainstay we know today (and thus could only be used to tote small objects and documents), his machine was the catalyst for the mainstream use of paper packaging.
The next important step forward in the design of the paper bag came from Margaret Knight, a prolific inventor then working for the Columbia Paper Bag Company. There, she realized that square-bottomed bags, rather than Wolle’s envelope design, would be more practical and efficient to use. She created her paper-bag making machine in an industrial shop, paving the way for the widespread commercial use of paper bags. Her machine proved so profitable that she would go on to found her own company, the Eastern Paper Bag Company. When you bring food home from the supermarket or purchase a new outfit from the department store, you’re enjoying the fruits of Knight’s labor.
These square-bottomed bags were still missing a classic component of the paper bag that we know and love today: pleated sides. We can thank Charles Stillwell for this addition, which made the bags foldable and thus easier to store. A mechanical engineer by trade, Stillwell’s design is commonly known as the S.O.S. bag, or “self-opening sacks.”
But wait — there’s more! In 1918, two St. Paul grocers by the names of Lydia and Walter Deubener came up with an idea for yet another improvement to the original design. By punching holes into the sides of paper bags and attaching a string that doubled as a handle and bottom reinforcement, the Deubeners found that customers could carry almost 20 pounds of food in each bag. At a time when cash-and-carry groceries were replacing home delivery, this proved a crucial innovation.
So just what materials is a paper bag actually composed of? The most popular material for paper bags is Kraft paper, which is manufactured from wood chips. Originally conceived by a German chemist by the name of Carl F. Dahl in 1879, the process for manufacturing Kraft paper is as follows: the wood chips are exposed to intense heat, which breaks them down into solid pulp and byproducts. Then the pulp is screened, washed, and bleached, taking its final form as the brown paper we all recognize. This pulping process makes Kraft paper particularly strong (hence its name, which is German for “strength”), and thus ideal for carrying heavy loads.
Of course, there’s more to picking the perfect paper bag than just the material. Particularly if you need to carry bulky or heavy items, there are a few other qualities to consider when selecting the product that will best serve your needs:
Also known as grammage, the paper basis weight is a measure of how dense paper is, in pounds, related to reams of 500. The higher the number, the denser and heavier the paper.
A gusset is a strengthened area where material has been added to reinforce the bag. Gusseted paper bags can accommodate heavier items and are less likely to break.
Made by twisting natural Kraft paper into cords and then gluing those cords to the insides of the paper bag, twist handles are typically used with gussets to increase the weight a bag can carry.
While Wolle’s envelope-style bag was later improved upon, it’s still very useful for certain businesses and widely used in our postal system. If you’re looking to accommodate larger items, Knight’s square-bottomed paper bag may be a better fit for your needs.
The design of the paper bag has come a long way since Francis Wolle, continuing to evolve to meet consumer demands for a more streamlined, easy-to-use product. Here’s a taste of the wide selection of paper bags that are available for business or personal use:
Designed by Stillwell, S.O.S. bags stand on their own while items are loaded into them. These bags are school lunch favorites, known for their iconic Kraft brown tint, though they can be dyed a variety of colors.
With open-mouth designs, pinch-bottom paper bags stay open just as S.O.S. bags do, but their base features a pointed seal similar to an envelope. These bags are widely used for baked goods and other food products.
Merchandise bags are usually pinch-bottom paper bags and can be used to hold everything from craft supplies to baked goods and candy. Merchandise bags are available in natural Kraft, bleached white, and a variety of colors.
For added sophistication, the Euro Tote (or its cousin, the wine bag) comes decked out with printed patterns, embellished glitter, corded handles, and lined interiors. This bag is popular for gift-giving and special packaging at retail outlets and can be outfitted with your brand’s logo through a custom printing process.
Similar to pinch-bottom bags, bakery bags are ideal for food products. Their design preserves the texture and taste of baked goods, such as cookies and pretzels, for longer.
Celebrate a birthday or special occasion with an attractive, fun party bag filled with candy, mementos, or small toys.
Francis Wolle’s original envelope-style bag is still used today to protect mailed documents or other small items.
For the environmentally minded, the Kraft bag is an obvious choice. These bags are generally composed of anywhere from 40% to 100% recycled materials.
Throughout its history, the paper bag has passed from one innovator to another, improved again and again to make it easier to use and cheaper to produce. For a few savvy retailers, however, the paper bag represented more than just a convenience for customers: it has also become a highly visible (and highly lucrative) marketing asset.
Bloomingdale’s, for example, breathed new life into the classic with its take, known simply as the “Big Brown Bag.” Marvin S. Traub’s twist on the Kraft bag was simple, attractive, and iconic, and its creation transformed the department store into the behemoth it is today. Meanwhile, Apple opted for a sleek, white version embossed with the company’s iconic logo (so groundbreaking was the design, they ventured, that it deserved its own patent).
Even as plastic floods the market, paper bags have stayed the course and proven their value as a dependable, cost-effective, and customizable solution for small businesses and behemoths alike. Feeling inspired? Create your own customized paper bags with Paper Mart today!
The paper bag is a simple invention; carefully constructed for the purpose of transporting items from one place to another. But where did the paper bag get its roots? How did it rise to popularity as a grocery bag, lunch bag, and retail shopping bag? Let’s find out!
What did people use before the invention of paper bags? It seems they mostly used reusable and durable vessels like baskets, canvas bags, burlap bags, or woven bags. The first paper bags were made by hand, which meant they weren’t very efficient or convenient to produce at a larger scale. It wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that mass manufacturing of paper bags became a real possibility.
The initial rise of the paper bag was thought to be in 1852. Schoolteacher Francis Wolle and his brother invented the first machine to mass-produce flat, envelope style paper bags. They patented the machine and then founded the Union Paper Bag Company. The invention of a machine that could mass-produce bags was a huge stepping stone in the widespread use of paper bags. However, these bags were very simplistic, flat, and could not hold a wide variety of items.
Francis Wolle’s envelope style paper bag manufacturing plant. SourceIn 1871, inventor Margaret E. Knight designed a machine that could create flat-bottomed paper bags, which could carry more than the previous envelope-style design. She got a job working at the Columbia Paper Bag company in Springfield, Massachusetts. She began to experiment with machine designs that could feed, cut and fold the paper automatically into a flat-bottom paper bag. Prior to this invention, flat bottomed paper bags were considered “artisanal” and were hard to come by.
Once she had built a working model of her automatic paper-folding machine, Knight submitted for a patent on her creation. Knight was met with adversity due to a copycat who tried to claim her design as his own, but Knight ultimately won her rightful patent after litigation. Very few women held patents at that time, and her boldness and persistence to claim her own design was revered for women’s rights.
Margaret E. Knight’s design patent for her paper bag machine. SourceIn 1883, Charles Stilwell patented a machine that made square-bottom paper bags with pleated sides, making them easier to fold and store. This style of bag came to be known as the S.O.S. bag, or “Self-Opening Sack”. The bags would stand upright on their own when opened making them easy to load.
The bag machine patented by Charles Stilwell in 1883 to make these S.O.S. bags was a game changer for paper bag production. These bags were the inspiration for what later developed into handled paper shopping bags. SOS style paper bags are also still widely used today for pharmacies, food service, and grocery stores.
Charles Stilwell’s patent for SOS paper bags. SourceIn 1912, Walter Deubener, a grocer in Saint Paul, Minnesota, noticed that his shoppers were having a hard time carrying their groceries home with existing bag options. He experimented by punching holes in a standard paper sack and threading cord through the holes to create handles. He and his wife, Lydia, made 50 of these bags to sell for 5 cents each and sold out right away. He decided to patent his invention and named it the “Deubener Shopping Bag”. By 1915, they were selling over a million bags per year.
Lydia Deubener with the “Deubener Shopping Bag”. SourceIn 1949 the Interstate Bag Company made a machine that could efficiently attach handles to paper shopping bags. Paper bags with handles later became the standard for department stores, and became cheap enough that stores could give them away for free.
Paper bags made life easier for a lot of people. Parents could now send their kids to school with ‘brown bag’ lunches. People could transport their groceries and purchased items home more easily. Retailers could give their customers a better shopping experience by providing functional paper bags to carry their goods home. All of these advances in the mass production of paper shopping bags eventually led to retail businesses using bags for marketing and branding purposes.
By the 1950’s, retailers were giving paper bags away for free for shoppers to carry down the street, and saw the opportunity for marketing. Many retail stores accented their bags with their logos or signature colors to help promote their branding. Carrying a branded shopping bag down the street became an important statement and status symbol. Shoppers soon became proxies for marketing as they carried branded shopping bags down the street for other consumers to view.
Bloomingdale’s department store is one of the major icons of paper shopping bag branding. They debuted their ‘Big Brown Bag’ in 1973, designed by Massimo Vignelli. Bloomingdale’s has since created many iconic and memorable designs for their bags, using cutting edge artwork and marketing ideas.
Bloomingdale’s Big Brown Bag. SourceOver the years, many popular brands have created branded custom paper bags with an iconic, easily recognizable look. Some shopping bags became status symbols for style and wealth. A branded paper bag became much more than just a way to get purchased items home, it became a fashion statement.
From its humble, utilitarian beginnings to it’s transformative design and incorporation with marketing and art, the paper bag is a truly legendary packaging item. Retailers, restaurants, shoppers, parents, and everyone alike can appreciate how much more convenient life is thanks to the invention of the paper bag.
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