Two C1920 Contraceptive sponges
$145.00 each
Two C1920 Contraceptive sponges
Country of manufacture
North America
Description
Two c1920s contraceptive sponges in their original cases (diameter of each case= 1.75″ approx.).The marine sponge was held in cotton netting with a string attached to aid in its extraction. The case on the left is cardboard; the other one is lithographed tin. They were sold as a “Sanitary Health Sponges”, or similar, because promoting them as a birth-control device would have violated the 19th-century law regarding what could be shipped through the mails: the so-called Comstock Laws.* Such sponges were inserted into the vagina before intercourse and then, after at least 6 hours, removed and carefully washed to facilitate reuse.
THE SPONGE IN THE YELLOW CASE HAS BEEN SOLD
* Right to Life groups in the USA are attempting to invoke the long-ignored Comstock Laws, that remarkably are still on the books, in their attempts to prevent Mifepristone from being shipped through the mails.
Ask the Dealer
Dealer information
M and R Gordon
Michael and Roberta Gordon have been dealing in medical and dental antiques for more than four decades. They have helped build a number of major private collections and have contributed to the holdings of many museums. They also deal in other scientific and technology related items, including calculating instruments, office machines, patent models and wine-related accessories such as corkscrews. ROBERTA GORDON IS A SKILLED RESTORER WHO CAN HELP YOU WITH ANY INSTRUMENTS AND CASES THAT NEED ATTENTION. Feel free to contact them for details at: [email protected] or 718-541-5974
