When was wrapping paper first used

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Private Events. Special Events. Full Calendar. Public Events. Family Programs. Homeschool Programs. During the early 20th century, tissue paper in assortments of red, green and white concealed presents until they were opened. But decorative paper, to serve the purpose of gift wrapping, rose to popularity in the United States back in , moving away from the aforementioned materials by accident.

In Kansas City, Missouri, two brothers, Joyce and Rollie Hall, were running a stationery store and ran out of the standard tissue paper due to the holiday season. This trend continued on for the next couple of years before the two began producing and selling their own printed, decorative paper for gift wrapping. By thinking outside the box, both figuratively and literally, the duo gave birth to an industry.

Alternatively, you can use our simple contact form. Submit Comment Clear form. By Roger Lyon. Wrapping paper is wasteful. Wrapping paper is, technically, impractical. That said, however, wrapping paper is also pretty awesome: It's pretty, it's arty, and it's one way, among others, to make even the most impersonal offerings—gift cards, electronics, even eeeek cash—seem meaningful.

For better or for worse, there's just something about a big red bow. But where did the wrapping tradition come from? Why do we, each time we give a gift, ritually wrap that offering in decorative tree pulp? The short answer is that wrapping, as a practice, has been around for ages—literally, ages.

The Japanese furoshiki , the reusable wrapping cloth still in use today, is a pretty faithful rendition of the version that's been around since the Edo period. In the west, using paper as a covering for gifts has been a longstanding, if largely luxury-oriented, practice: Upper-class Victorians regularly used elaborately decorated paper—along with ribbons and lace—to conceal gifts.