Patent No. 78,493 - Ear Trumpet by Thomas H. Stillwell, 1868

Ever wonder where the phrase "red tape" comes from? Ironically, it originated with a symbol of new ideas and progress -- the patent model!

According to Alan Rothschild, owner of the Rothschild Petersen Patent Model Museum, the term "red tape" originated in reference to the tape used to attach identifying labels to patent models when they were submitted to the U.S. Patent Office. This red tape was also used to bind all of an inventor's patent documents into one package - hence the full phrase, "bound up in red tape." The phrase became associated with bureaucracy because of the long waits, numerous forms, and regulations required in the patent approval process.