Vertical filing

It is a collection of pamphlets, pictures, clippings, or other materials stored upright, as in a filing cabinet or cabinets or a cabinet for such storage.

Previously, businesses kept papers in envelopes in turn stored in arrays of pigeonholes often lining a wall. Finding and opening envelopes and unfolding papers was troublesome and inefficient. It was reasoned that folding was not necessary; papers could be kept in large envelopes standing on end vertically in a drawer.