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Montage of photos of 8 women inventors

Top row: Marion O'Brien Donovan, Tara Astigarraga, Madison Maxey, Marilyn Hamilton. Bottom row: Michelle Khine, Marjorie Stewart Joyner, Alexis Lewis, Ellen Ochoa

A baby holding a block in one hand lies on a table and looks up at Marion O’Brien Donovan, who is diapering the baby, using her waterproof, reusable diaper cover. She is looking down at the snaps in the cover that allow it to be adjustable to the baby’s size without the use of safety pins. She is smiling slightly and is wearing a V-neck dress and a triple strand of pearls. A framed photo of an older woman wearing a large hat is visible on a table over Donovan’s left shoulder.

Marion O’Brien Donovan

March 22, 2021 by Joyce Bedi

Throughout American history, women with diverse backgrounds and interests created inventions that change our lives every day.

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“I went to all the big names that you could think of and they said, ‘we don’t need it—no woman has asked us for that . . .’ so I went into manufacturing myself.”

Marion O’Brien Donovan

Marion O’Brien Donovan (1917–1998), a college-educated Connecticut homemaker, continually sought better ways to organize her home and take care of her children.

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A reprint of a newspaper article about Marion O’Brien Donovan’s inventive career. The headline reads, “Inventor Makes Chores Hassle-Free,” with the subhead, “First the disposable diaper, now a new way to floss teeth.” Note: Donovan did not invent the disposable diaper; she invented a waterproof reusable diaper cover, which she called The Boater.

“Inventor Makes Chores Hassle-Free,” Greenwich News, 4 March 1993. Marion O’Brien Donovan Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721-0000057-01. © Smithsonian Institution

The Boater

Frustrated with frequently having to change her baby’s soaked cloth diapers, clothing, and bedding, Donovan became determined to find a better way to keep infants dry. She used a section of her bathroom shower curtain for her first prototype of a diaper cover that would prevent leaks. That experiment led to her creation of the Boater, a reusable diaper cover made from surplus nylon parachute cloth, which went on sale at Saks Fifth Avenue in 1949. She sold the Boater—her first successful invention—for $1 million in 1951 and went on to create numerous products intended to make everyday tasks easier and more efficient.

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A detailed instruction sheet for using the Boater,  illustrated with photographs of Marion O’Brien Donovan putting a Boater on a baby. Text includes: “Dear Mother, After three years’ research, I finally perfected the diaper boat that really keeps baby and baby’s clothes absolutely dry, and saves on laundry bills! I call it Boater because it is shaped like a boat—even to the decks which cover the edges of the diaper and which keep baby out of most of his wetness—and like any good boat, it does not leak!”

Instruction sheet for the use and care of the Boater diaper cover, undated. Marion O'Brien Donovan Papers, 1949-1996, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721-0000029. © Smithsonian Institution

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Blue vertical paper brochure with a drawing of a baby wearing a diaper and holding a rag doll in the air with one hand. A small stylized sailboat is in the upper right corner. Text includes: “More affection for and from baby with revolutionary Boater. New nylon diaper cover. Now you can be sure of absolutely dry bundling clothes and bedding with this amazing Boater. Brilliantly fashioned to five comfort to baby—bind-proof, leak-proof, it has plenty of freedom for action.”

Advertisement, “More affection for and from baby with revolutionary Boater,” undated. Marion O'Brien Donovan Papers, 1949-1996, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721-0000027. © Smithsonian Institution

archivescenter-donovan-marion-ac0721-0000028-750-inline-edit.jpg

A baby holding a block in one hand lies on a table and looks up at Marion O’Brien Donovan, who is diapering the baby, using her waterproof, reusable diaper cover. She is looking down at the snaps in the cover that allow it to be adjustable to the baby’s size without the use of safety pins. She is smiling slightly and is wearing a V-neck dress and a triple strand of pearls. A framed photo of an older woman wearing a large hat is visible on a table over Donovan’s left shoulder.

Marion O’Brien Donovan putting the "Boater,” her reusable diaper cover, on a baby, around 1950. Marion O’Brien Donovan Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721-0000028. © Smithsonian Institution

The Big Hang-Up

One of Donovan's later inventions was the Big Hang-Up, a closet organizer for hanging “30 to 40 slacks, skirts, shorts, belts, scarfs, jewelry” in a compact space. Donovan researched several manufacturers of small clothespins before finding ones that worked for her design.

archivescenter-donovan-marion-ac0721-0000044-750-inline-edit.jpg

Marion O’Brien Donovan smiles at the camera. She is standing behind 2 Big Hang-Up organizers and is placing a clothespin on one garment to attach it to the rack. A backlit beige curtain is behind her and the organizers hang from a horizontal metal pole. A few clothespins are attached to the cords that suspend the organizer from the pole.

Marion O’Brien Donovan demonstrating the Big Hang-Up closet organizer, undated. Photo by Steven Begleiter. Marion O’Brien Donovan Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721-0000044. © Smithsonian Institution

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A black-and white ad for “The Big Hang-Up” closet organizer. On the left side is a line drawing of pants, boots, belts, jackets, and skirts hanging from the Big Hang-Up. On the right is a description and instructions for use of the device. It reads, in part, “Increase the hanging space of your present closets by 70%. The Big Hang-Up . . . is a wire rack that holds 30 to 40 slacks, skirts, shorts—belts, scarfs, jewelry, too. For men—slacks, belts, ties, etc.”

Big Hang-Up ad, undated. Marion O’Brien Donovan Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721-0000018. © Smithsonian Institution

archivescenter-donovan-marion-ac0721-0000041-450-inline-edit.jpg

A typewritten letter, dated 27 September 1977, from Büro-Fürrer AG in Switzerland to Marion O’Brien Donovan, in response to Donovan’s inquiry about a source for small clothespins to use with her closet organizer. Two clothespins are taped to the letter; one is yellow and about 1 inch long, the other is red and about 1.5 inches long.

Letter from Büro-Fürrer in Switzerland to Marion O’Brien Donovan, regarding a source for small clothespins to use with the Big Hang-Up closet organizer, 1977. Marion O’Brien Donovan Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721-0000041. © Smithsonian Institution

DentaLoop Floss

In the 1990s, Donovan invented the DentaLoop, a loop of dental floss with flat and fluffy sections to clean thoroughly between teeth. Donovan claimed that the pre-cut loops were easier to use than the typical method of winding long lengths of floss around the fingers.

archivescenter-donovan-marion-ac0721-0000045-750-inline-edit.jpg

4 foil packets of DentaLoop floss, 2 with blue printing and 2 with orange-brown printing. Each packet reads “One pre-cut patented DentaLoop floss in drops of mint ready to yse” on one side and “To use: slip fingers inside loop and floss around. From Marion Donovan Assoc. P.O. Box 112-G, Greenwich, CT 06831” on the reverse side.

Samples packets of DentaLoop Floss, 1991. Marion O’Brien Donovan Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721-0000045. © Smithsonian Institution

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Advertising photo of 3 packages of DentaLoop floss. 2 packages stand on end and the other is flat on the table and opened to show the floss. One package holds a round container of floss, billed as a Carry-A-Round pack for pocket or purse. All packages advertise that they hold 60 pre-cut loops of the blue, circular floss, with one fluffy half and the other traditional floss.

DentaLoop Floss in commercial packaging, around 1992. Marion O’Brien Donovan Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721-0000048. © Smithsonian Institution

archivescenter-donovan-marion-ac0721-0000050-01-450-inline-edit.jpg

Black-and-white DentaLoop Floss brochure, titled “This is the new DentaLoop Floss.” 2 line drawing show a woman’s hands manipulating the circular floss. The text reads, “DentaLoop is floss made in a circle—one side of the circle is regular flat floss and the other floss side is soft and velvety. Because it’s a circle, DentaLoop is easy to use simply by putting one’s fingers inside the loop and—presto! the flossing begins!”

DentaLoop Floss brochure, undated. Marion O’Brien Donovan Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721-0000050-01. © Smithsonian Institution

archivescenter-donovan-marion-ac0721-img-5444-450-inline-edit.jpg

A typewritten form on Marion Donovan Associates letterhead, requesting feedback on DentaLoop Floss, described as “two flosses in one loop, fluffy blue and regular white,” and Donovan’s FlossLoops, described as “one type of regular white floss in one basic loop.” The survey was sent to dental professions and the questions ask for feedback on patients’ and professionals’ reactions to the flosses. Questions include: Which types of patients find the DentaLoop helpful/useful?

Customer satisfaction survey for different types of floss loops. Marion O’Brien Donovan Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, AC0721. © Smithsonian Institution

Learn more about Marion O'Brien Donovan's life and work >>


Source for quote above: Excerpts from “Not for Women Only with Barbara Walters,” April 1975, https://youtu.be/j-YtYOKt6T0.

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