In the nineteenth century, paper folding was introduced as a topic for children in the newly introduced kindergartens. At the same time, both questions about the foundations of geometry and attempts to teach the subject to a wider array of students led to new views on geometry teaching, particularly in secondary schools.

These trends came together in a small book by Sundara Rao, an Indian civil servant working for the British government in Madras. Raoa**s Geometrical Exercises in Paper Folding appeared in 1893, and attracted the attention of the German mathematician Felix Klein. Mindful of Kleina**s comments, mathematicians W. W. Beman and David Eugene Smith prepared an American edition of the book, published in 1901. The small volume remains in print to this day. This talk traces the roots of Raoa**s work in Froebela**s kindergarten movement, considers the contents of his book, examines the contribution of Beman and Smith, and discusses mid-twentieth century popularization of paper folding under the name origami.