Paper Fastener

Paper Fastening Timeline

Nickel, Steel

This humble device fastens paper together without the use of staples or metal pins. The early 20th century saw a huge increase in the number of offices around the world. Office workers were desperate for a convenient way to connect papers. This paper fastener, patented by George Bump of La Crosse in 1918, was successful and even marketed internationally. Unfortunately its success was short-lived, and the Bump paper fastener was replaced by the stapler that we know today.

Gemma Zahradka is from St. Paul, Minnesota. She is an Archaeology Major at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, with a focus in zooarchaeology.

Paper, Metal

My first response upon viewing this object was “What a beautiful object.”  It is simple, elegant, and functional, much like Apple™ products.   My art piece, responding to the Bump paper fastener, is a timeline of ways papers have been joined in the past and possibly won’t be needed in the future.

Making art, usually 3-D using clay and paper, has been Martha Schwem’s passion for seventy years.  She made her first book in 1956 using the Japanese stab binding and early methods of joining papers.