By Mary Davis
What do Johann Peter Spieth, Heribert Bauer, Albert-Pierre Raymond, and one of the oldest operational companies in the world have in common?
They each had a hand in inventing or improving the modern snap fastener.
A two-part fastener can be traced back to German brass-worker Johann Peter Spieth in the early 1800s. He created a unique way of attaching a button to fabric, laying the foundation for the modern snap.
In 1865, French industrialist Albert-Pierre Raymond, along with two other men, opened a workshop to manufacture snap fasteners to replace traditional glove buttons which were not practical.
Later, German inventor Heribert Bauer patented the snap (a.k.a. press stud) on March 5, 1885. It consisted of two parts that were sewn onto fabric and each had a spring mechanism. It was designed as a novelty closure for men’s trousers, and according to the patent, they were meant to make the opening and closing of men’s overalls easier. The problem was that the quick-release fastener tended to rust quickly, which could cause them to come undone at inopportune times. Even so, they were quite popular because of their ease of use.
Since Albert-Pierre Raymond had been making snaps for twenty years, he realized he should get a patent as well. So, a year after Bauer’s patent, Albert-Pierre Raymond filed his patent in France on May 29, 1886 and also filed patents in the U.S. and Japan. He apparently didn’t want someone else to beat him to the punch.
But it wasn’t until Hans Friedrich of the Prym company (one of the oldest operational companies in the world) improved the design with a double S-spring, that the snap really took off. The two parts held together much better than its predecessors and, with a different metal, it didn’t rust. The snap fastener was marketed under the brand name “Prym” in 1903.
Myra Juliet Farrell improved the snap once more by inventing a no-sew snap. Hers was a four-piece construction with prongs that stuck through the fabric.
Because of the ease of use, the military incorporated them into their gear. Likewise, rodeo cowboys adopted the press stud in the 1930s for safety reasons. If the cowboy fell and his shirt got caught on the saddle, the snaps would easily come undone and protect the wearer from further injury and the shirt from being torn.
Today, snaps come in all sorts of fun shapes, sizes, and colors.
Mary lives in the Rockies and her dog, Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_fastener
https://www.daidalos.blog/en/journey-through-time/artikel/the-press-stud/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prym
https://thethriftystitcher.co.uk/a-brief-history-of-the-snap-fastener/
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