Ever since people began wearing fabric clothing and going out in the rain, efforts have been made to keep water from soaking through the garments. Early waterproofing methods relied on natural properties of the fabrics. Wool was treated with lanolin emulsions, boosting the water repellency of the naturally occurring body oil in wool. Cotton was given a wax emulsion. These treatments were inexpensive, but were not durable when the fabric was cleaned.

In 1823 Charles Macintosh (1766-1843), a Scottish chemist, patented his method of producing rainproof cloth using rubber. He coated one side of wool cloth with a liquid rubber solution, then covered it with another piece of wool cloth. Since rain could not penetrate the rubber, the inner layer of garments made with Macintosh’s material remained dry. The rainproof coats made by Macintosh’s company became popularly known as mackintoshes.

An American inventor named Otis...