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    The History of Envelopes

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    Daniel Rae
    Envelopes have been used for over 4,000 years, originating from clay envelopes created by Babylonians to securely send messages. In the 1800s, paper envelopes were developed but were initially only affordable by the wealthy. The invention of the envelope folding machine in the 1840s helped automate envelope production. Later machines further increased production, with one able to produce over 2,500 envelopes per hour. Self-gumming envelope machines in the 1870s helped apply gum during production. Today over 185 billion envelopes are produced annually in many styles for business and personal use.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    The History of Envelopes

    Uploaded by

    Daniel Rae
    37 views3 pages
    Envelopes have been used for over 4,000 years, originating from clay envelopes created by Babylonians to securely send messages. In the 1800s, paper envelopes were developed but were initially only affordable by the wealthy. The invention of the envelope folding machine in the 1840s helped automate envelope production. Later machines further increased production, with one able to produce over 2,500 envelopes per hour. Self-gumming envelope machines in the 1870s helped apply gum during production. Today over 185 billion envelopes are produced annually in many styles for business and personal use.

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    History and Description

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    Envelopes have been used for over 4,000 years, originating from clay envelopes created by Babylonians to securely send messages. In the 1800s, paper envelopes were developed but were initially only affordable by the wealthy. The invention of the envelope folding machine in the 1840s helped automate envelope production. Later machines further increased production, with one able to produce over 2,500 envelopes per hour. Self-gumming envelope machines in the 1870s helped apply gum during production. Today over 185 billion envelopes are produced annually in many styles for business and personal use.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    37 views3 pages

    The History of Envelopes

    Uploaded by

    Daniel Rae
    Envelopes have been used for over 4,000 years, originating from clay envelopes created by Babylonians to securely send messages. In the 1800s, paper envelopes were developed but were initially only affordable by the wealthy. The invention of the envelope folding machine in the 1840s helped automate envelope production. Later machines further increased production, with one able to produce over 2,500 envelopes per hour. Self-gumming envelope machines in the 1870s helped apply gum during production. Today over 185 billion envelopes are produced annually in many styles for business and personal use.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    The History of Envelopes – From 2000 B.

    C to the Present
    Can you imagine getting your monthly cellphone bill in the mail without it being sealed in
    an envelope? Or sending them back a check without an envelope to keep your personal
    banking information a secret? I cant either. Envelopes have been around for centuries
    and have changed countless times throughout history. The history of envelopes begins
    with a little clay and a lot of work.
    The First Envelopes – 2000 B.C

    More than 4,000 years ago, way before the invention of the pre-gummed paper
    envelopes, the Babylonians created an envelope like folder from clay. Wet clay was folded
    over the original tablet message and sealed by pressing the ends together. It was then
    baked, causing it to harden and ensuring the tablet’s contents were safe inside. To
    reveal the original tablet message, one would have to brake the clay envelope. And so
    the history of envelopes begins!

    Paper Envelopes are Born


    Fast forward a couple hundred years to the 1800’s when envelopes we seen as an
    extra piece of paper that would be wrapped around the letter and charged as an extra
    piece of paper when mailing. Only the wealthy could afford this second charge, while
    most commoners would simply fold the letter into an envelope and seal it with an
    adhesive. The address could then be written on the blank back of the letter.
    It wasn’t until 1837 when Rowland Hill published “Post Office Reform” that paper
    envelopes were created. He stated that a “physical stamp containing a gum wash and a
    prepaid penny wrapper were to be developed.” Local businesses created these by
    cutting and hand folding an envelope template.
    Invention of the Envelope Folding Machine

    Envelope Folding Machine at the 1851 Great Exhibition


    Edwin Hill
    This was a turning point for the history of envelopes. The demand for envelopes quickly
    grew in England after the acceptance of universal postage. No longer could the
    envelope manufacturing companies keep up by hand folding and cutting envelopes.
    Edwin Hill is credited with designing the first envelope folding machine in 1840. His work
    would be short lived after a number of other envelope folding machines surfaced in
    1951. These machines featured a vacuum which would transfer the envelopes and
    could produce 240 envelopes per hour.
    Dr. Russell L. Hawes
    Before the mid-1850s, envelope folding machines had to be imported from Europe. In
    America the first successful automatic envelope folding machine was created by Russell
    L. Hawes. With his background in medicine, he would create the machine to work with
    the human body, spawning science of ergonomics and kinetics. His machine could
    produce 2,500 envelopes an hour.
    George H. Reay
    With dozens of automatic envelope folding machines available, none was more widely
    used then Reay machine. This machine was extremely reliable and became the standard
    machine for envelope manufacturing.
    Self-Gumming Envelope Making Machine

    It wasn’t until the invention of the self-gumming


    envelope machine that envelope production really took off. A man by the name
    of James Green Arnold took the envelope folding machine to the next level when he
    added a brush that would apply the gum to the envelopes seal. This step was previously
    done by hand. Unfortunately Arnold’s design was never put into production. It wasn’t
    until two brothers by the name of D. Wheeler Swift and Henry Swift took Arnold’s
    design and perfected it. In 1876 the Swift Chain Dryer Machine was born. One of the
    main difference in this machine was that it was constructed of metal, not wood, like the
    Arnold design.
    Envelopes Today
    Today, well over 185 billion envelopes are produced each year in a wide array of sizes,
    styles and shapes. A long way from the rich history of envelopes to what we consider
    ‘normal’ today.
    Envelopes for Business
    Businesses like Netflix use paper envelopes to mail customers DVD’s which are then
    returned later via the mail. Monthly bills are sent in remittance envelopes with pre-
    stamped response envelopes enclosed. Bubble mailer envelopes are a great shipping
    alternatives to bulky boxes for many shipping companies.
    Popular Styles:
     Business Envelope
     Remittance Envelope
     Booklet Envelope
     Window Envelope
    Envelopes for Personal Use
    Brides can spend hours looking at different sizes and textures of envelopes to find their
    perfect invitation envelope. Festive envelopes are used when sending out yearly holiday
    greeting cards to family and friends.
    Popular Styles:
     A2 Envelope
     A7 Envelope
     Square Envelope

    Resources: https://www.jampaper.com/blog/the-
    history-of-envelopes/

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