Mothers of the world, rejoice!
PJL Tissue TidBits

Disposable, comfortable, absorbent, economical, and refined with protective lotions and softeners.

These are the features of the latest baby diaper launched on the market. But they are also the features of the first baby diaper ever, the one that Lewis Bowles of San Francisco (USA) produced in 1897. Basically, it was a “napkin” for infants made with a thin, waterproof piece of paper – he himself recommended the paper normally used for Japanese packages shipped internationally – an elastic ring and a rectangular swab of cotton.

But above all, a great and well-communicated idea was behind it: to alleviate the tediousness and fatigue that multiple daily nappy washes brought to households.

 

 

 

Picture 1 - The sketch on Lewis Bowles’ 1897 patent.

Picture 2 - A 1908 baby diaper advert.

Picture 3 - Modern diapers, some designed for “little swimmers”, with graphics and material right in-line with their intended use!

     

 

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