Toilet Paper Art II

Ever since 600 AD, paper has already been used for 'personal' use in China. This used to be almost any kind of paper they would have handy, but toilet paper was specifically produced for that purpose during the 14th century when the Ming Dynasty began.

Ancient Romans would use a sponge on a stick, while the rest of the world used whatever they could find according to their riches. If you were wealthy, you would wipe with wool, lace or hemp and if you were not so fortunate, you would resort to rags, wood shavings, leaves, grass, hay, stone, sand, moss, water and snow for instance.

The latter is still the case in several parts of our modern world, where there is no plumbing or customs differ from ours.

Toilet paper as we know it, was first marketed in the US in 1857 by Joseph Gayetty and was sold as flat sheets which came in a pack. Toilet paper and dispensers came in swing around 1883 and moist toilet paper was introduced in the 1990s.

It can be bought in as single, two or three ply, can be quilted, embossed, and even adorned with different images.

It certainly can be used for art, as you can see here. This is called 'Toilegami'; origami made from and with toilet paper.

How pretty; it is almost a shame to flush it down the toilet!