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Manila folder
File folder designed to contain documents

A manila folder is a type of file folder commonly used to organize documents in a filing cabinet. Traditionally made by folding a large sheet of stiff card, these folders are usually buff-colored, though other colors can be used to signify different categories. Originally, the paper was produced from manila fibers derived from abacá leaves, native to Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Towards the late 20th century, papermakers shifted from abacá fibers to cheaper wood pulp while maintaining the name and iconic color of the folder.

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History

In the 1830s, a cotton and linen rag shortage occurred in the United States.5 This caused papermakers to seek out additional production materials.6

In 1843, paper maker Mark Hollingsworth and his sons John and Lyman obtained a patent "to manufacture paper from manila fibers" of abacá leaves.7 This family company became Hollingsworth & Vose.8 The Guggenheim claims that this creation of manila paper was a way "of recycling manila rope, previously used on ships".9 The resulting paper was strong, water resistant, and flexible.10

The paper shortage "only abated in the 1870s, when rag paper was gradually replaced by paper made from wood pulp".11

By 1873, the United States Department of Agriculture quoted Thomas H. Dunham, who described Manila paper as "nine-tenths jute" when praising jute production.12

In 1906, over 2,000,000 piculs of manila fibers were produced, making approximately 66% of the Philippines' export profits.13

From 1898 to 1946, the United States colonized the Philippines following the Spanish-American War. The Guggenheim claims the "colonial government found ways to prevent Filipinos from profiting off of the abaca crops, instead favoring the businesses of American expats and Japanese immigrants, as well as ensuring that the bulk of the abaca harvests were exported to the United States" for use in military initiatives.14

The manila component of the name originates from Manila hemp, named after Manila, the capital of the Philippines.15 This was historically the main material for manila folders, alongside the manila envelope and manila paper.16

Use

The manila folder is a folder designed for transporting documents. It is traditionally made of thick, durable manila paper and sized so that full sheets of printer paper can fit inside without folding. As with the manila envelope, it is traditionally buff in color.

The manila envelope, a close relative of the folder, often has a mechanism on the closing flap that allows it to be opened without damaging the envelope so that it can be reused. There are two main methods to achieve this. The first incorporates a metal clasp with two prongs, which are put through a reinforced eyelet in the flap and then bent apart to hold, while the other has a cardboard button secured tightly on the flap and a piece of string fastened on the envelope body (or the reverse arrangement) is wound around it to form a closure. In a more general sense, similar envelopes made of brown, unbleached paper, used for cheapness, are also described as manila envelopes.

See also

References

  1. The Far-Eastern Review: Engineering, Commerce, Finance. G.B. Rea. 1906. https://books.google.com/books?id=V4mezrdXEbgC&q=%22abaca,+or+Manila+hemp%22 ↩

  2. "An ode to filing". Otago Daily Times. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2021. https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/ode-filing ↩

  3. "A Manila Envelope: The Inspiration behind an Exhibition's Graphic Identity". The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. Retrieved 2023-10-27. https://www.guggenheim.org/articles/checklist/a-manila-envelope-the-inspiration-behind-an-exhibitions-graphic-identity ↩

  4. "A Manila Envelope: The Inspiration behind an Exhibition's Graphic Identity". The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. Retrieved 2023-10-27. https://www.guggenheim.org/articles/checklist/a-manila-envelope-the-inspiration-behind-an-exhibitions-graphic-identity ↩

  5. "Reading Victorian Rags: Recycling, Redemption, and Dickens's Ragged Children". Retrieved 2023-10-27. https://academic.oup.com/jvc/article/20/1/34/4095574 ↩

  6. "A Manila Envelope: The Inspiration behind an Exhibition's Graphic Identity". The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. Retrieved 2023-10-27. https://www.guggenheim.org/articles/checklist/a-manila-envelope-the-inspiration-behind-an-exhibitions-graphic-identity ↩

  7. "Hollingsworth & Vose | Asbestos Products & Mesothelioma". Mesothelioma.com. Retrieved 2023-10-27. https://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-exposure/companies/hollingsworth-vose-company/ ↩

  8. "Hollingsworth & Vose | Asbestos Products & Mesothelioma". Mesothelioma.com. Retrieved 2023-10-27. https://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-exposure/companies/hollingsworth-vose-company/ ↩

  9. "A Manila Envelope: The Inspiration behind an Exhibition's Graphic Identity". The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. Retrieved 2023-10-27. https://www.guggenheim.org/articles/checklist/a-manila-envelope-the-inspiration-behind-an-exhibitions-graphic-identity ↩

  10. "A Manila Envelope: The Inspiration behind an Exhibition's Graphic Identity". The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. Retrieved 2023-10-27. https://www.guggenheim.org/articles/checklist/a-manila-envelope-the-inspiration-behind-an-exhibitions-graphic-identity ↩

  11. "Reading Victorian Rags: Recycling, Redemption, and Dickens's Ragged Children". Retrieved 2023-10-27. https://academic.oup.com/jvc/article/20/1/34/4095574 ↩

  12. Pamphlets on Cotton, Wool, Etc. 1873. p. 19. https://books.google.com/books?id=XzczAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22manila+paper%22&pg=RA10-PA19 ↩

  13. The Far-Eastern Review: Engineering, Commerce, Finance. G.B. Rea. 1906. https://books.google.com/books?id=V4mezrdXEbgC&q=%22abaca,+or+Manila+hemp%22 ↩

  14. "A Manila Envelope: The Inspiration behind an Exhibition's Graphic Identity". The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. Retrieved 2023-10-27. https://www.guggenheim.org/articles/checklist/a-manila-envelope-the-inspiration-behind-an-exhibitions-graphic-identity ↩

  15. "An ode to filing". Otago Daily Times. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2021. https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/ode-filing ↩

  16. Wordsmith, Chrysti (2013-04-12). "Word of the Week: Manila envelope, a holdover from Philippine fiber". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-09-21. https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/go/word-of-the-week-manila-envelope-a-holdover-from-philippine-fiber/article_857e349a-a305-11e2-b116-001a4bcf887a.html ↩