ABSTRACT
With the industrial revolution and the development of factories, some type of identification means was needed to prevent “unauthorized” individuals from entering these facilities. Previously, when most companies had only a few individuals, who were personally known and recognized by their face, theft and crime were normally not a problem, but this changed with large facilities where facial recognition was impractical. Instantaneous permission was provided for guards (at factory entrances), who saw distinctive items on each employee, such as company-issued clothing, aprons, caps, and ultimately celluloid lapel pins and metal badges. Photographs of the individual were added to celluloid pin-on badges which were replaced by laminated photo identification badges invented at the beginning of World War II.
