VINTAGE CONDOMS by Erin O’Quinn
Like Dean Pace-Frech, I
am fascinated by the last turn of the century … the nineteenth turning
to twentieth. I set my series of Gaslight Mystery novels in 1923 and 1924,
several years after my colleague’s stories. But what I
have to say today about condoms can easily pertain to his time and his
characters too.
This very brief look at
condoms is my unabashed way of introducing a series of novels called "The
Gaslight Mysteries,” published by Amber Quill Press, and found on
their website bookstore:
Historians of such
esoteric subjects agree that condoms were first used for prevention of
pregnancy, and by wealthy men only. That makes sense, since women were
naturally held to the task of avoiding impregnation, and only wealthy men might
wish to keep their seed from being spread outside the marriage bed.
Early condoms, perhaps
worn first in ancient China, were apparently small devices that covered the
glans only, made from oiled silk paper or lamb intestines. Later, in Japan,
they were made of tortoise shell or animal horn. Ouch . . . not for the wearer,
but for the receiver!
When a particularly
deadly strain of syphilis broke out in Europe in the late 15th century, condoms
began to be developed to stop the spread of this disease. One treatise
describes linen sheaths soaked in chemicals and allowed to dry. These devices,
which covered the glans only, were tied on with a ribbon, giving a whole new
meaning to the words baby’s
bonnet.
After 1500, penis
protection became much more widespread throughout Europe. They were called “condoms” gradually, starting in the mid-1600s; and
they might be made of animal intestines and bladders, or of linen.
“In the late 15th century, Dutch traders introduced condoms made
from "fine leather" to Japan. Unlike the horn condoms used
previously, these leather condoms covered the entire penis.”
The notorious
philanderer Casanova was proud of his “assurance caps,” and was reported to
have given public demonstrations by blowing into them, proudly showing their
lack of holes (see photo).
In spite of opposition—mainly
from the clergy—condoms, once developed, multiplied quickly. According to Wiki,
they “were sold at pubs, barbershops, chemist shops, open-air markets,
and at the theater throughout Europe and Russia.” Once they spread to
America, land of invention and individuality, condoms became more and more
sophisticated.
In my books, the
characters are able to buy their protection from the gay pub or “Molly
House” called Paddy’s, a logical place to
find sexual appurtenances.
In the first novel HEART TO HART, Michael slips a clumsy latex condom out of
his dresser drawer. It seems that, since the mid 1800’s and Charles Goodyear’s discovery of processing natural rubber, condoms could be made
of stretched rubber, wrapped around the penis and held in place with a rubber
ring. These early condoms were thick as a bicycle inner tube. One imagines that
while one partner might barely tolerate the enlargement, the other might suffer
the indignity of feeling nothing at all.
Anyway, by the time
Michael was seducing Simon, condoms were being made from latex—rubber
suspended in water rather than in gasoline or benzene. These protective devices
were stronger, thinner, and had a shelf life up to five years.
In the second series
novel SPARRING WITH SHADOWS, Michael slyly leaves a package for
his flatmate. It’s a condom made of thin animal bladder, the
latest in American-made protection, thin enough and pliable enough to ensure
the man’s pleasure as well as the other obvious
benefits.
Many of the photos that
follow are taken from the following website: http://www.ep.tc/condom-envelopes/ a gallery of images assembled by Ethan
Persoff, http://www.ep.tc
Thanks, Ethan. I “use” them with gratitude.
Just a note: The
U.S.-manufactured Sheik and Ramses brands were well established by 1882. Trojans, also developed
in America, were popular then as now. (As a USC grad, I have to add here: Go!
Trojans!)
Paper packaging was, and remains, a popular
dispensary for condoms.
In the source listed
above, Ethan Persoff notes:
The very interesting
book "Remember your rubbers!" (Collectible Condom Containers) by
Elliott, Goehring and O'Brien published by Schiffer Publishing Co., strangely
does not show any of the examples offered here on eBay by us. Does this mean
these are rarer than their tin counterparts?
It also states the
following on paper packaging: "Interestingly enough, both the oldest and
newest rubber packages are envelopes. India rubbers, latex rubbers and animal
membrane prophylactics are found in envelopes. Most hold one dozen rubbers
lying flat, though a few can be found with one quarter dozen. ‘Genuine Liquid Latex’ rubbers came packaged with four (rolled) to an envelope and
wrapped in cellophane. Rarer are envelopes with a single rubber in the package…"
To conclude, I need to add that my
fictional men use condoms sparingly, and not at all when they become “exclusive”
lovers in the novels TO THE BONE and THIN
AS SMOKE. But we as readers need to realize they were not only
available, but necessary in an age when syphilis, “The Great Pox,” was a
scourge and a killer.
Erin O’Quinn sprang from the high desert hills of Nevada, from a tiny
town which no longer exists. A truant officer dragged her kicking and screaming
to grade school, too late to attend kindergarten; and since that time her best
education has come from the ground she’s walked and the people she’s met.
In celebration of History Week Part II, I will be giving away an Ecopy of my first novel, A Place to Call Their Own, which is available from JMS Books. Comment and follow me and the other folks on Twitter to enter to win! a Rafflecopter giveaway
