Delaware Valley Archivists Group

By Stephanie LampkinThe production, use, and success of cellophane in America, beginning in the early part of the twentieth century, represents the innovation and creativity of scientists, a revolution in the food packaging industry, the success of DuPont advertising and marketing strategies, and signifies the social and cultural values of Americans in the early to mid-twentieth century.Image: The Saturday Evening Post advertisement, 1934.The Barteldes Seed Co. cellophane popcorn bag represents this shift. The design on the bag emulates an explosion. The thin red streaks represent the source of the explosion, the white banner represents the mushroom cloud of smoke, and the thick blue beam represents the energy of the blast. While cellophane merely stumbled onto the scene in 1907-1908 with its accidental discovery by Swiss chemist Dr. Jacques Edwin Brandenberger, it exploded in 1923 and again in 1929 with the ingenious improvements of the material by the DuPont Company. DuPont quickly became the largest domestic manufacturer of cellophane in the United States. Soon, over 125 varieties of cellophane were available ranging in thickness, weight, color, and grade.Image: TNT Popcorn bag, Barteldes Seed Co., Lawrence, Kansas (Museum Collection).Moisture-proof, transparent, odorless, and non-toxic, cellophane made an ideal material for wrapping and packaging. By 1950, 71% of cellophane was being distributed to the food industry, but it was not limited to produce. Due to its versatility, cellophane was also used for clothing, umbrellas, curtains, belts, and hats, which were all displayed by DuPont at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and the 1939 New York World’s Fair. The DuPont Company’s marketing campaign motto, "Better Things for Better Living…Through Chemistry," speaks to the desire to improve the quality of life for individuals with the use of natural materials to create chemically man-made products. Due to its characteristics, cellophane dominated the food packaging industry beginning in the late 1920s. The primary markets in which it was utilized included bakery products, candy, and tobacco. With increasing popularity, cellophane expanded further into the food industry for prepackaged vegetables, fruits, and meat. It was also a popular packaging for cookies, potato chips, and popcorn.  Cellophane’s success as the leading transparent flexible food packaging material from the 1920s until the late 1950s is largely due to effective advertising. The advertising campaign by the DuPont Company Advertising Department capitalized on the social and economic concerns of the time, namely, self-service, sanitation, and thrift.Image: The Saturday Evening Post advertisement, 1935.Advertisements were placed in three of the most popular magazines among housewives: the Ladies’ Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, and the Saturday Evening Post. However, magazines were not the only mediums. The Cellophane Radio Program, hosted by Emily Post, broadcast every Monday and Thursday morning in most major cities and addressed topics of interest pertaining to the home and daily social life.For the consumer, cellophane’s transparency connoted freshness, cleanliness and honesty, had perceived health benefits, and allowed the consumer to inspect products before making a purchase.Image: Cellophane Radio Program brochure, Cellophane Scrapbook. Hagley Museum and Library.With rising competition by 1960, the sale of cellophane had declined.  In 1986, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company sold its domestic cellophane business.The Hagley Museum and Library holds a significant collection of DuPont cellophane packaging, advertisements and related archival materials.    Please visit the Hagley Library's website to search the collection or contact us for more information.Sources: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Advertising Department. "Advertisements and Promotional Materials, Tearsheets, 1901-1971." Hagley Museum and Library.Sacharow, Stanley. A Packaging Primer. New York: Books for Industry Division for Industry, Inc., 1978.C.H. Ward. The "Cellophane" Story: Origin of a British Industrial Group. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons Ltd., 1977.E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Inc.) Film Department. Cellophane: A Protective Packaging Film Essential to Today’s National Economy. Wilmington Del., n.d.For more information about the Hagley Library, visit http://www.hagley.org/library