See an ancient Peruvian bowl with the image of a menstruating vagina inside. Snap-on style washable pad -Washable pad with belt - See how women wear a belt with a pad - see a Swedish ad showing a belt and pad - German pattern for washable pads, probably before 1900 - And see a menstrual sponge Washable pads from Almora, Uttar Pradesh state, India and Rajasthan state, India - Nineteenth-century Norwegian washable pads - Italian washable pad, probably from the 1890s - instructions for making Japanese pads, early 20th century? - German, about 1900 Famous women in menstrual hygiene advertising: Carol Lynley - Lee Miller - Mary Lou Retton - Cathy Rigby - Cheryl Tiegs - Brenda Vaccaro See also advertising for teenagers. Menstrual pad suspenders! See how a woman wore a belt in a Dutch ad. See a classy 1920s ad for a belt and the first ad (1891) MUM has for a belt. See how women wore a belt (and in a Swedish ad). See a modern belt for a washable pad and a page from the 1946-47 Sears catalog showing a great variety. More ads for napkin belts: Sears, 1928 - modern belts - modern washable - Modess, 1960s Actual belts in the museum More ads for napkin belts: Sears, 1928 - modern belts - modern washable - Modess, 1960s Actual belts in the museum See the Kotex stick tampon. See also a Saba Ad, Pursettes ad, Kotex "Are you in the know?" ads (1949)(1953)(1964), Ads for Teens, and some older Kotex ads And, of course, the first Tampax AND - special for you! - the American fax tampon, from the early 1930s, which also came in bags. See a Modess True or False? ad in The American Girl magazine, January 1947, and actress Carol Lynley in "How Shall I Tell My Daughter" booklet ad (1955) - Modess . . . . because ads (many dates). CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could? Some MUM site links: homepage | MUM address & What does MUM mean? | e-mail the museum | privacy on this site | who runs this museum?? | Amazing women! | the art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | asbestos | belts | bidets | founder bio | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books: menstruation and menopause (and reviews) | cats | company booklets for girls (mostly) directory | contraception and religion | costumes | menstrual cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | facts-of-life booklets for girls | famous women in menstrual hygiene ads | FAQ | founder/director biography | gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux | humor | huts | links | masturbation | media coverage of MUM | menarche booklets for girls and parents | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | olor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | puberty booklets for girls and parents | religion | Religión y menstruación | your remedies for menstrual discomfort | menstrual products safety | science | Seguridad de productos para la menstruación | shame | slapping, menstrual | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour of the former museum (video) | underpants & panties directory | videos, films directory | Words and expressions about menstruation | Would you stop menstruating if you could? | What did women do about menstruation in the past? | washable pads Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación. Bowl for soaking used washable menstrual pads, sold by New Cycle Even after disposable menstrual pads became widely available in America in the early 1920s (especially Kotex; see an ad from 1921 showing a confrontation about washing pads) some women made or bought washable pads. After wearing one the user had to wash and dry it. The first step was usually to soak it in water, often in a bucket under a sink. The (American) New Cycle company offered a shiny clay pot, below, not a bucket, that I bought in the early 1990s for about $30. Instead of dumping the menstrually water (it's more than bloody) down the drain, the spout encourages the user to water her plants with it, blood (etc.) adding to the nutritive powers of the water. Hey, gardeners sometimes use blood meal as fertilizer. In March, 2006, someone sent me the following: "About washable pads: there are quite a few moms who have work-at-home businesses making these things. I find them to be far superior to Glad Rags. This page shows several styles: http://www.diaperware.com/mooncare/mooncare.htm "There are also work-at-home moms who make pad pots. An example: http://www.primalmommy.com/padpots.htm"   The round opening measures 4" in diameter (10.16 cm) and the spout is about 2.5" (6.35 cm) wide. The bowl stands 7" (about 17.8 cm) high. Harry Finley took the photos.   Look at the beautiful crackle glaze!   The base on the outside bears "C Boyd" - I'm sure the potter - and " '91." Two crescents flank a full moon above the name.   Above we see the colorized name and logo on a display (here) in the actual Museum of Menstruation in my house from 1994-1998. Start a tour of the actual (but closed) museum. See an ancient Peruvian bowl with the image of a menstruating vagina inside. © 2005 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute any of the work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org