subject: The History Behind Rubber Stamps [print this page] There are many versions for the genesis of rubber stamps. One of the reasons for this is that there are slightly different definitions of just what constitutes a rubber stamp. Thus, depending on one's point of view, rubber stamps can be traced as far back as the ancient Mayans and their jungle civilization! But one of the most popular and widely agreed-upon origins for modern-day rubber stamps is accredited to a certain James Woodruff, who was a dental assistant for his uncle.
Before the invention of vulcanized rubber by Charles Goodyear which is to say, rubber that can be "cured" or treated so that it can be molded dentures were made of metal or, more commonly, wood. Since cured rubber was so much easier to work with, more and more dentures were made with this new material. Thus, one of the many practical everyday applications of Mr. Goodyear's invention was discovered by dentists. Mr. Woodruff was working in his uncle's dental practice when he realized another possible application of rubber. He soon started manufacturing rubber stamps, marking devices made out of rubber which was easy to mold and cheap to produce. His business expanded most notably to include the U.S. Postal Service among its customers.
Another story purporting to explain the invention of rubber stamps involves an L.F. Witherell, who actually wrote a paper titled How I Came to Discover the Rubber Stamp. In it, Mr. Witherell claimed that he was inspired to invent the rubber stamp after noticing how a certain problem could be solved when he was a foreman at a wooden pump manufacturer. Each pump made was to be painted with certain identifying marks, but one day a problem arose where the paint would run and create blotches on the pumps. That was when the idea occurred to Mr. Witherell that stencils could be created out of some thin sheets of rubber packing laying about the premises. While making these stencils, however, he thought further and decided to just create thick letters out of the rubber and glue them to a piece of wood thereby inventing the rubber stamp as we know it today.
Perhaps the third most popular account for the origins of rubber stamps is that involving Mr. Henry C. Leland, whose claim was actually championed in his time by the Stamp Trade News published by a manufacturer of rubber stamps. But no matter the actual origins, it is certain that the rubber stamp has left a lasting impression on our world.
