Did you know that the inventor of the iconic brown grocery bag was a woman? Thankfully, Margaret Knight, inventor of the flat-bottomed paper grocery bag, was a fighter, or none of us would have come to know the real story behind the invention of the now ubiquitous brown paper bag.
The Fascinating History of the Paper Grocery Bag. — Ross & Wallace Paper Products Inc. Manufacturers of high quality paper bags and paper rolls for 70 years.
Margaret’s bag was a substantial improvement upon the status quo of the day where shoppers brought their own containers or used paper cones. Though there were improvements to her design over the years, including the invention of Charles Stilwell whose design added pleats to the sides that made folding and stacking easier, Margaret’s bag is remarkably similar to the brown paper grocery bag still in widespread use today.
Within six months Margaret had created a wooden prototype. Her wooden model was a remarkable improvement on folding bags by hand, but it was not terribly sturdy. To address this, Margaret sought out a machinist to create her design in iron.
The court sided in Margaret’s favor, and she was awarded a patent for her machine in 1871. A drawing of Margaret Knight’s bag machine. Margaret’s bag was a substantial improvement upon the status quo of the day where shoppers brought their own containers or used paper cones.