Greased paper window

A greased paper window is a very inexpensive window made of paper coated in grease. The grease fills gaps between the paper fibers, reducing the amount of light lost to scattering.[1] Greased paper windows provide a diffuse light source, while blocking wind and preventing insects and other small animals from entering a structure.[1]

1919 photograph of an early-to-mid 19th century schoolhouse in Plain Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana, with a greased-paper window

Greased paper windows were often used by American pioneers of the early 1800s[2] and other itinerant peoples, in lieu of relatively expensive traditional glass windows.[1] Laura Ingalls Wilder recalled living in a home with a greased paper window in her 1937 children's novel, On the Banks of Plum Creek.[3]

See also

References
  1. Goodwin, Jane (July 1, 2014). "Little House Science: Greased Paper Windows". Steve Spangler Science. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  2. "History of Spencer County". History of Warrick, Spencer and Perry Counties, Indiana, From the Earliest Time to the Present; Together with Interesting Biographical Sketches, Reminiscences, Notes, Etc. Goodspeed, Bros. & Co. 1885. p. 410. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  3. Wilder, Laura Ingalls (October 20, 1937). On the Banks of Plum Creek. Harper Collins. p. 10. ISBN 9780064400046. Retrieved 17 August 2016. There was a small greased-paper window beside the door. But the wall was so thick that the light from the window stayed near the window.
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