The Greatest Missed Luxury

Catherine Thérèse Earley

There is a product that people use every day without even

realizing its importance. Most people do not think twice
about the fact that using this product helps to stop the
spread of disease as well as promote cleanliness. Often
times the only moment this product is thought about is when
suddenly there is no access to it at which point this
product is missed dearly. This product is packaged toilet
paper.

Modern toilet paper is

a soft form of paper,
which provides the user
with a sanitary method
of cleaning oneself
after using the
bathroom. Originally,
toilet paper was made
of individual coarse
paper squares that came
in a box or bundles.
In 1890, Irvin and
Clarence Scott of the
Scott Paper Company revolutionized toilet paper. They put
toilet paper on a roll and began to individually package
these rolls for sale in drugstores and pharmacies. This
transformation in toilet paper did not happen over night
though.
Although, Joseph Gayetty produced the first toilet paper in
the United States in 1857, he
was not successful at selling
it. Then on July 25, 1871, the
United States Patent Office
issued Seth Wheeler of Albany,
New York a patent entitled
"Improvement in Wrapping-
Papers." This patented the
idea of putting toilet paper
into perforated rolls rather
than making them as individual sheets to be sold in
bundles. E. Irvin and Clarence Scott then combined these
two key ideas of selling toilet paper and putting toilet
paper into rolls and embarked on a journey that would make
them famous.

Irvin and Clarence Scott decided to take on the challenge

of selling toilet paper where others had fallen short.
Fortunately, this paved the way for the first packaged and
successfully advertised toilet paper to be sold by Scott
Paper Company in 1879 when the Scott Paper Company was
founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At this time they
did not market the toilet paper as Scott Tissue since they
did not want to soil the family name with such a "lewd"
product. Instead they sold the tissue under individual
store names until 1902 when they purchased all the rights
to the WALDORF® Trademark. This became the company's first
branded product. At this point it became obvious that the
Scott Paper Company was here to stay.
 The Scott Paper Company went on to
set up a plant in Chester,
Pennsylvania where 72-inch parent
rolls of paper were transformed
into small rolls of 1,000 white,
perforated sheets to be sold in
individual rolls. At the time, a
roll of 1,000 sheets sold for 10
cents. It did not take long for
the Scott Paper Company's toilet
paper to hit the mainstream and by 1925 they were the
leading toilet tissue provider in the world. While Scott
Tissue’s success made it a household name, the initial
advertising posed a great challenge for the company.

Due to the conservative tones of the country at the time

that Scott Paper Company set up production of packaged
toilet paper, they began by selling to private dealers who
then sold the packaged toilet paper under 2,000 different
brand names. It was not until 1903, that under the
guidance of Arthur Hoyt Scott, Irvin Scott's son, Scott
Paper Company began to produce toilet paper that was marked
with Scott Tissue. He encouraged his father and uncle to
sell at most 6 brands in order to become more specialized.
As stated in Time, “By 1910 it was apparent that his idea
of specialization was correct; his six brands provided 80%
of the total sales of $726,264.09.” These ideas were not
the only influences Arthur Scott brought to the company
though.

Arthur Scott was the author of the Scott Paper Company’s

first effective slogan, “Soft as old linen.” He went on to
revolutionized Scott's marketing style that made it a
popular household item. Arthur realized that the company
needed high-profile advertising, however, with stores
refusing to display it and people refusing to talk about
it, advertisement was not easily created.

Fortunately, Scott Paper Company's timing coincided with

the increased use of indoor plumbing and because the
product was so popular, coining it as a health-promoting
item made it more acceptable in the public's eye.

By promoting Scott Tissue as a

health-promoting product, the
Scott Paper Company was able to
find proper venues for their
advertising efforts. From there,
the company's marketing efforts
brought Scott Tissue to be a
common household name brand. They
were able to add advertisements
and articles promoting their
product in health magazines as
well as in drug stores and the
health section of newspapers.

It became known as a medical

product to help stop the spread of
dysentery, typhoid and cholera
among other diseases. Though there
is little strong evidence that suggests toilet paper is a
direct factor in the decrease in spread of these diseases,
a decrease in outbreaks did coincide with toilet paper
becoming a commonplace product. Since there are at least
sixty different species of bacteria that are removed by
toilet paper that would otherwise be left on the skin and
clothing, Walter T. Hughes, a doctor in the infectious
diseases department at St. Jude Children's Research
Hospital, believes that toilet paper can be seen as more of
a preventative measure, much like hand washing.

Medical product or not, the fondness of having the

convenience of having toilet paper in people’s homes was
obvious. Even during the great depression, the Scott Paper
Company did not have to lay off a single worker. They
continued to operate a full capacity since the need for
toilet paper had become a constant. By the 1950's, stories
of people hoarding toilet paper became common. Some people
even began buying full cases of 100 rolls at a time.

Throughout the years Scott

Paper Company continued to
modify its product. Whether
making it softer, larger
packs or different wrapping,
they are still very relevant
in today's culture.
Although Scott Paper Company
was acquired by Kimberly-
Clark, Inc. in 1995, the SCOTT® brand is still widely
recognized today. The company has gone on to produce a
wide variety of paper products including, but not limited
to, paper towels, napkins and tissues.
While often overlooked, the convenience of packaged toilet
paper is clearly one of the most useful inventions that
people encounter every day. By taking a risk in a
conservative time and choosing the right route for a
marketing campaign, the Scott Paper Company successfully
promoted one of the most frequently used cleanliness
promoting products.

A lot of work went into making toilet paper, as commonly

found as it is today. In a day and age where convenience
and comfort is of the utmost importance, remember sometimes
it is the simple things in life, such as toilet paper, that
are missed the most when they are gone.
Work Cited:
About the SCOTT (R) Brand Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.,
2005. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.scottcommonsense.com/AboutScott.aspx>.

Hughes, Walter T. "A Tribute to Toilet Paper." Reviews of

Infectious Diseases 10.1 (1988): 218-22. JSTOR. Web. 8 Feb.
2010.

"MANUFACTURING: Tissue Issue." 22 Aug. 1938: 1-2. Web. 13

Apr. 2010.
<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,788421-
1,00.html>.

Robert C. Williams Paper Museum - FAQ Georgia Tech, 4 Jan.

2009. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.ipst.gatech.edu/amp/general/museum_faq.htm>.

The roll that changed history: Disposable toilet tissue

story The Virtual Museum of Toilet Paper, n.d. Web. 8 Feb.
2010. <http://www.kimberly-clark.com/pdfs/Toilet%20Tissue
%20on%20a%20Roll%20Evolution.pdf>.

Scott Paper Company International Directory of Company

Histories. Ed. Adele Hast. Vol. 4. Chicago: St. James
Press, 1991. p329-331.

Scott Paper Company International Directory of Company

Histories. Ed. Tina Grant. Vol. 31. Detroit: St. James
Press, 2000. p409-412.

Tissue Paper Products Encyclopedia of Products & Industries

- Manufacturing. Ed. Patricia J. Bungert and Arsen J.
Darnay. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008. p967-975.

Wheeler, Seth. "Improvements in wrapping paper." Patent

117,355. 25 July 1871.