Born: 1849, United States
Died: Unknown (after 1890)
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women creator Allison Tyra’s book Uncredited: Women’s Overlooked, Misattributed, and Stolen Work.
As always, women at the intersections of marginalisation face additional obstacles. In 1888, inventor Ellen Eglin sold the rights to a clothes wringer she had designed to an agent for $18 (around $570 today). “If it was known that a negro woman patented the invention, white ladies would not buy the wringer,” she explained in an 1891 interview. Although the device proved hugely popular and garnered massive profits, Eglin received neither credit nor royalties for her creation. In 1956, Mary Kenner invented an adjustable sanitary belt with a moisture-proof napkin pocket built in. The Sonn-Nap-Pack Company wanted to purchase her creation, until they found out Kenner was African-American. Her patent expired and others stole her idea without crediting her.