|
© 2009 Harry Finley. It
is illegal to reproduce
or distribute work on this Web site in any manner or
medium without written
permission of the author. Please report suspected
violations to hfinley@mum.org
|
history sanitary napkin pad towel
feminine hygiene menstrual
menstruation women information education
school old ads advertising historic disposable
Site directory for the history of commercial disposable
menstrual pads
(sanitary napkins, towels)
(see also washable
menstrual pads)
(Site directories for ads for teens,
tampons & company booklets
for girls. )
Women have used menstrual pads in various
forms since - well, the beginning
of the species maybe? The modern commercial
disposable pads seem to have
started in the late nineteenth century with
the Hartmann company (ads below)
in Germany and Johnson & Johnson in the
U.S.A. Both companies still
operate. Kotex and Curads, in the early
1920s, took the torch from J&J.
In Germany, Camelia began selling
disposables in the mid-1920s. Belts, suspenders and
special
underpants held
these early pads in place. In
the early 1970s two revolutions - adhesive
strips holding the pad in the
crotch of panties and smaller pads (see New Freedom
and Stayfree)-
changed the industry, essentially
killing the belt-and-pad market, to the
relief of most women.
See how women wore
a belt (and in a
Swedish ad).
Washable pads,
which are not included on
this page
|
List of large
contributors of items at bottom
of page.
Pads, at right (actual pads,
advertising, boxes)
(See also Ads for
Teens)
|
Birdseye (Bird eye,
bird'seye, bird's eye) cloth used
for diapers and menstrual pads:
ad in the Washington Post, September 11, 1904
(97 years before the infamous "9/11"). You
can buy the cloth today.
Camelia
(early German disposable still
widely sold) The camellia (English spelling
of the flower) of the brand
has a exceptionally
naughty history and would
have never been tolerated in the U.S.A. I
can imagine the torchlight processions
of enraged citizens. Dutch
booklet (excerpts) describing
the pad and its origin (probably 1928). Ads:
1920s
(Germany), 1930s
(Germany), 1930s
box, etc., terrific
1930s
ad!, 1940/41 (Germany),
1952
(Australia), 1973
Germany (shows the new adhesive
pad through panties), 1970s (France), 1990, also 1990 (white pants)
(Germany), 1992
(Germany) using white pants, 2003 (Austria)
Carefree (U.K.)
panty liner ads, 1993, 1994
Carefree Teens (U.S.A.) Personal Products,
colored
pantyliners, about 1990 - more of them
Cellucotton (Early
newspaper reports and later ads)
& Kotex menstrual pads (scroll
down this page) (U.S.A.)
Chinese pad and
belt (2000)
Chinese pad, Anerle
Chinese panty pad, Huitlao
Comforts
(U.S.A., 1907) "Sanitary Comforts
of Old Blankets," tip in magazine for
possibly making washable pads
(?)
Compad (U.S.A.,
1940s-1960s?) single compressed
pad with belt in tiny package
Confetti very
long ad for Brevia Confetti
menstrual tampons & panty pads
(pantiliners) (13 June 1988, Kimberly-Clark
Corp., in Elle magazine, France)
See the second
Confetti page
Confidets
(U.S.A., 1961-1980s), a shaped
pad (the first?) and with disposal bags (the
first? See other disposal
bags), pads &
box (1967), ad
(1961)
Delicate
(U.S.A., mid 1940s-50s?) pads to
carry, in a tube - ad, 1953
Dr White's
(United Kingdom), ad, 1987 - 3-D ad, with glasses
attached, 1989, for Shapes pads
- ad contest for
Dr White's
Early newspaper ads
for pads (U.S.A.). Includes
paper (disposable) pads before Kotex, the
first really successful brand;
washable; and related things like sanitary
aprons and belts. See also Generic menstrual
pads, below.
Fems (U.S.A.)
Ad, 1921. See an Australian
tampon with the same
name, 1967.
Freedom
(Germany), plastic
bag with ad, France ad 1990, U.K. ad
1990
Generic
menstrual pads (U.S.A.) Pads not
identified with a specific name. Ads: 1915 (paper
and cloth), 1916
(compressed for traveling, probably
disposable), 1914
(normal and compressed, probably
for traveling). See also Early newspaper ads
for pads, above.
Hartmann's Mulpa
1890s, first German disposable
pad
Hartmann's WWs
(U.S.A.) Disposable pad,
19th century
inSync Miniform
(U.S.A.) contemporary small
pad fitting between the small lips of the
vulva to absorb small amounts
of urine and vaginal secretions. Now in a
different form. Promotional
package, 1997. See also Padette.
Japanese pads
and belts, early 20th century:
instructions
for making the so-called uma (pony or
horse, because it resembled in function
the device on horses to catch feces).
Junoform Serviettes
Periodiques Items in
Butler Brothers catalogs starting here (early
20th century)
Junoform Sani-naps Items
in Butler Brothers catalogs
starting here
(early 20th century)
Ladysan
(Chile) magazine
ad, 1994, for Ladysan Ultra con Alas
Protectoras (menstrual pad "ultra"
with wings). Procter & Gamble owns the
company. I thank a Chilean
university student for the scan!
Libra (Australia)
ads 1996,
1997 (gifts from
C.W., in London, U.K.)
Libresse ad,
Poland, ca. 1998 (translated) - ad, Dutch, 1998,
showing red on a pad - Dutch bus-stop ad in the
town of Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands, where
the contributor lives, 2006
- telephone-booth ad
in London, U.K. - ad
praising the men who helped Mølnlycke
reach
second place in the Netherlands (1978) - booklet
describing pads, 2007, the Netherlands
Lightdays
Pantiliners (Kotex): ads featuring
named women, 1982,
1985,
1986
Lilia (U.K., pad
in a tube, 1930s?) Generous
gift from Andrew
Smith, Wales, United Kingdom.
Lines ad
(Italy)
Lister's [Sanitary]
Towels (U.S.A., 1890s-1920s?)
4 ads for the first American disposable pad,
by Johnson & Johnson
Mene ad
(United Kingdon) Ad 1931
Merco (U.S.A.,
1919) Ad. Disposable?
Mimosept mini
(Denmark) ad,
1970s? - Germany, Mimosept
Komfort, 1970s - Denmark,
Mimosept Mini, 1972
Modess (Johnson
& Johnson, Personal
Products Co., U.S.A.) 1927 Gilbreth report to
Johnson & Johnson about Modess -
newspaper ads 1927-28
- "Silent Purchase"
ad, June 1928 -
ad, 1928 -
"Modernizing Mother" ads:
#1, February 1929 ("Mother
. . . don't be quaint");
#3 April 1929 ("Don't
weaken, Mother");
#5, June 1929 ("Never
mind, Mother, you'll learn")
- ad about
concealing pad, 1930 - ad
compared with Kotex ad, 1931 - ad, 1931 - wrapped Modess pad
for dispenser, 1930s? - Ad, U.K., 1936 - True or False?
ad in The American Girl magazine, January
1947 - actress Carol
Lynley in "How shall I tell my
daughter?" booklet ad (1955)
- Australian ad,
1957 - ad
(1956) with "Modess . . . . because" ad
incorporated into it -
ad for "Growing
Up and Liking It" booklet
(1963, Modess) - - Modess
. . . . because ads (many
dates) - ad with baby, 1969: "She knows as much
about sanitary napkins as you do." - French
ad, 1970s? - ad,
French, 1972, photo by David
Hamilton - Personal
Digest leaflets (7), 1966-67:
describe Modess products - How Modess Sanitary
Napkins
Began: excerpts from"A Company That
Cares: One Hundred Year Illustrated
History of Johnson and Johnson"
Mosana Early
disposable menstrual napkin (towel):
Ad from the United Kingdom, 1913
Mölnlycke
(a company) see Libresse
Mulpa, Hartmann's
1890s, first German disposable
pad?
Nana (France)
one-page ad featuring just
a man (1980s?) -
two-page
spread featuring a different man
(1989)
Nefa (the
Netherlands) - ad in Panorama
magazine, 28 July 1938
- ad, 1954
- ad, 1967 (all
gifts from a frequest and generous
Dutch contributor)
New Freedom
(U.S.A.), an early beltless pad
(by Kotex); box bears a copyright of 1970 -
ad
November 21, 1971, The Milwaukee Journal - ad
using named person, 1978 - promotion leaflet
(date unknown) - ad, 1985, showing disposal bag
Nikini pads and
briefs , ad (U.K., 1970s?)
Nupak
(U.S.A., Johnson & Johnson) probably
the first disposable J&J pad after the
late 19th century and early 20th
failures or seldom-bought pads. Ads, 1926, 1927.
Padette (U.S.A.)
small menstrual/urine/vaginal
secretions pad that fit between the small
lips of the vulva; obsolete but
there's a market for it as evidenced from
the e-mail I've received. See
also InSync Miniform.
Pad-n-all
(1930s-1940s?, U.S.A.) a combination
of pad and attached belt, probably made of
cotton (Procter & Gamble
donation, 2001)
Paper
sanitary napkins (U.S.A., pre-Kotex)
Ad in regional newspaper: 1917. Disposable
menstrual
pads are almost always made of a paper-like
substance from trees, but these
are identified as "paper."
Pen-Co-Nap
(U.S.A., 1929) Ad
for the J.C. Penney Co. pad.
Polivia
(France) ad,
1989
Prudex
Disposable pad from Lydia Pinkham,
1929, U.S.A. The -ex
form might come from a
competitor, Kotex.
Ria (Germany)
panty pads ad with real pad
on page
Saba Ad, 1970s
(Denmark) - Short history of the
Norwegian
company (SCA Mølnlycke) - Early ads (1956
& another
& another,
Norway) - Swedish
ad, 1981 - Ad (date?) Swedish,
showing hand holding
pad in underpants - ad showing
a woman exercising while not shifting the
pad (1970s, bottom
of the page)
SAN-NAP-PAK
(U.S.A.) ad, in The American
Girl magazine, July 1945 - ad, 1932, in Love Mirror
(with a great magazine cover)
Sanisep
(Sweden) ad, 1970s, photo of woman
in underpants wearing it, showing also photo
of older belted pad on woman
in underpants - Swedish
ad (date?) showing wearer's
hands holding pad in underpants - Finnish ad (date?)
showing hands holding pad in underpants
Slipvast (Dutch
ads from the Mønlycke
company for Libresse, 1977)
Society (U.S.A.),
pad and box, probably 1920s
or 1930s
Southalls (spelled
also with an apostrophe in different
positions) Early disposable
menstrual napkin, U.K.: large box with
single
pad, small box
with single pad, (1930s?). Both
gifts from Andrew
Smith, Wales, United Kingdom.
Southall ads
from the United Kingdom,
1888-1913. American
ads for Southalls. Southall's
pad disposal bag
Stayfree
(U.S.A., the Netherlands) ad with
Cathy Rigby
(1982). More
ads with Rigby and others (U.S.A., Germany,
Hispanic America).
Listen
to Cathy Rigby speak a radio ad for Stayfree
(1982). Ads, U.S.A., 1973,
1974, showing new
beltless
pad - Ad, 1980, cheerleaders
- Ad, 1977, girl
skateboarding in white shorts - Ad,
1982, white shorts
- Ad, U.S.A., 1984: white
sheets as main design element - Ad,
1996, cartwheel
in white pants - Dutch ads showing
women wearing pad & belt: 1972 (photo), 1973 (drawing)
- German, 1976,
1977,
diagrams showing blood flow & panties -
1980 American folder with great
visual pun on cover: Your
Teenage Menstrual Cycle
- Historic Stayfree
writes MUM (no, I didn't get paid
for this), "STAYFREE® Maxi Pads
and Information for Spotting,
Bleeding, and Discharge during Pregnancy
URL: www.STAYFREE.com
Description: Pads can come in handy to
protect you throughout many
of the bodily changes experienced during
pregnancy and the childbirth recovery
period. STAYFREE® offers the broadest
range of feminine hygiene products
available as well as helpful resources and
products for your pregnancy. From
light menstruation to active bladder
control, there's a STAYFREE® solution
that fits your needs before, during, and
after pregnancy."
Thailand ad, date?
Thong, panty
pad for (SCA,
a Swedish company)
Vania Kotydia
(France) Ad with Betty Boop
for black panty pads (prot`ège-slip
noir), April 2002. Scan kind
donation of a Frenchwoman
Washable: General
subject - India
(in Almora, Uttar Pradesh
state) - 19th century Italian - 19th
century
Norwegian - German pattern
for home sewing (probably late 19th century)
- Snap-on
- with underpants
- with belt
Whenever
(U.S.A.) 1987
White (the color)
in a series of menstrual advertising
from around the world
|
| Bags for disposing
of used pads |
|
| Belts for menstrual
pads |
|
| Dispensers for
menstrual pads |
|
| Disposal unit
for used pads |
Cannon "Concept Unit" |
| Panties
(underpants) for holding menstrual
pads |
|
| Powder for
menstrual pads |
Amolin (U.S.A.,
from Kotex) produced from
the 1920s to probably the 1970s.
Mum
deodorant (U.S.A.) produced from
at least the 1920s and still sold today
(2000)
Quest
(U.S.A., 1930s - ?)) two cans
and an ad
|
Reports
|
Consumer Report
(U.S.A., selections), 1949,
rated contemporary American tampons &
pads
- Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Kotex and others.
Photos and narrative about what
pads & tampons consisted of and a photo
of a pad-testing
machine (see Syngyna, a
tampon-testing machine).
See also the important "Dickinson Report"
favoring tampons over pads in the 1945 CR.
"The Dickinson
Report" (U.S.A.
article comparing pads unfavorably to
tampons, 1945, based on a Journal
of the American Medical Association article)
Report of [Dr.
Lillian] Gilbreth, Inc., (excerpts
and discussion), 1 January 1927, to the
Johnson & Johnson company. It
gathered and studied the wishes of women for
menstrual pads and gave recommendations
about pads and additional products. It was probably
the first such study and led to the
development of better pads (the
new Modess), which conformed to the wishes
of its users.
|
Selling
|
Ad-design contest
in the United Kingdom
How to sell Kotex
page for trade publications,
probably early 1920s, U.S.A.
"Your Image is Your
Fortune!," Modess
sales-hints booklet for stores, 1967
(U.S.A.)
|
| Shields to
protect clothing |
Sanitary apron,
U.S.A., 1914 Sears, Roebuck
catalog. MUM director Harry Finley
commissioed Dr. Ann Wass to reconstruct
it for the physical museum.
Sanshe['?]s shields
for sanitary napkins, U.S.A.,
1940-50s?
|
| Suspenders for pads |
|
|
Teachers'
guides
(See also educational
booklets for girls)
|
"A
Teaching Guide for Menstrual
Hygiene" (cover,
1962, Personal Products
Corp., U.S.A.)
"A Teacher's Guide to
Feminine Hygiene"
(cover,
1973, Personal Products Corp.,
U.S.A.)
"Educational Material
on Menstruation furnished
by the makers of Tampax" (1966)
U.S.A.
Folder with huge
number of information sheets, etc.
"Educational Portfolio
on Menstrual Hygiene"
(1968) U.S.A. Teacher's
kit for Modess
sanitary napkins, menstrual tampons
and panties (mostly complete)
"From Fiction to Fact:
a teaching guide about
puberty, menstruation and the human
reproductive system" (cover, 1986,
Tambrands, U.S.A.)
"Teacher's kit"
(complete,
early 1950s, Personal Products Corp.,
U.S.A.)
|
| Testing pads |
Consumer Reports
(U.S.A., selections),
1949, rated
contemporary American tampons &
pads - Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Kotex and
others. Photos and narrative about
what pads & tampons consisted of and a
photo of a pad-testing
machine (see Syngyna, a
tampon-testing machine).
See also the important "Dickinson Report"
favoring tampons over pads in the 1945 CR.
|
| Underpants for
holding menstrual pads |
|
|
|
|
| Large gifts of
historic pads, tampons, ads,
documents, panties, etc., to this museum
(many people from around the world
have generously made smaller donations of
boxes, ads, etc.) |
In 1995, a woman who read an article
about this museum in the Chicago
Tribune newspaper kindly donated boxes of
fax,
Fibs, and other tampons and advertising
material from the 1930s left by
her father, who had worked for Kotex.
In 1997, Tambrands,
former maker of Tampax
tampons, generously donated over 450 boxes
of tampons from as early as 1936,
plus hundreds of other items.
In 2001, Procter
& Gamble, owner of
Tampax and Always pads, generously donated
scores of boxes of tampons and
other menstrual products from the 1930s to
the 1960s.
|
See how women wore
a belted pad (and
in a Swedish ad and
a Dutch ad).
|
|
Why the tabs, belt or suspenders holding a
menstrual pad or cloth must
be longer in the
back.
|
|
| |
this
page copyright 2009 Harry
Finley
|
|