See instructions for the 1936 Tampax - and the box, etc. See a very early Tampax ad (1936) - a very early Tampax box and contents - more early commercial tampons
See more Tampax items: American ad from August 1965 - nudity in an ad: May 1992 (United Kingdom) - a sign advertising Tampax during World War II - the original patent - an instruction sheet from the 1930s
The influential Dickinson Report (1945) - Early commercial tampons
Ad Aug 1965 - actress Susan Dey ad, 1970 - gymnast Mary Lou Retton ad, 1986 - ad "Are you sure I'll still be a virgin?" Feb. 1990 - ad (British, nude) 1992 - Tampax sign (World War II) - ad, British, 1994 (the thong advantage)
Australian douche ad (ca. 1900) - Fresca douche (date ?) - Kotique douche 1974 ad - Liasan (1) ad - Liasan (2) ad - Lysol 1928 ad - Lysol 1948 ad - Marvel 1926 ad - Midol 1938 ad - Midol 1959 booklet - o.b. German (papyrus tampons) - Pristeen 1969 ad - o.b. German (nude) - Sterizol 1926 ad - Vionell spray 1970 ad (Germany) - the odor page

A British Tampax ad using nudity (1992) - And see other ads directed at teenagers.

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).
DIRECTORY of all topics (See also the SEARCH ENGINE, bottom of page.)
Comic strip: "A Visit to the Museum of Menstruation"
CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could?
Some MUM site links: homepage | LIST OF ALL TOPICS | 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.

Was Tampax the first French commercial tampon?
Tampax menstrual tampons, 1938, France and U.S.A.
Tampons

The French tampon seems to differ from the American only in one surprising way. See the photos, below.

See many early tampons from the U.S.A.
Tambrands generously donated these boxes, part of a large gift of menstrual products from its archives.
Harry Finley created the images.

 
Both the French and American tampons come wrapped in cellophane-like material with the instructions separating the rows; they alternate ends as above. You're looking at the French box.
images copyright 2006 Harry Finley
 
Above: Strangely, the strings on some of the plugs - the business ends - penetrate the cellophane. And the length difference! (See below.) Each tampon, above, measures 12.5 x 1.3 cm (c. 5" x 0.5").

 

Above: Even stranger, the French string is much longer than the American (11.3 vs. 9 cm, 4.5" x 3.5")! I opened two from each box with the same results so it looks consistent. Did French women have longer vaginas? (I'd better drop the subject.) I suspect Tampax realized that the American strings were too short; a string from 2006 is closer to the French length (13 cm, 5.25"). The plugs are irregular in size. The 1938 plugs are about 2.25" (c. 5.5") long and 0.5" (c. 1.3 cm) long.
   
Above left: after 68 years the cellophane easily peels off - not rips - in the direction of the arrow. That flap of cellophane you see at right with the colors is the way each tampon comes out of the box, making the cellophane easy to grab and pull off.
Above right: the French 'pon disassembled. It seems to differ from the American only in string length.

NEXT: Directions, interior - boxes, typography, tampons, interior of directions, exterior of directions

See more Tampax items: See instructions for the 1936 Tampax - and the box, etc. See Dutch Tampax ads from 1938 (and here, virtually identical to a contemporary American ad) American ad from August 1965 - nudity in an ad: May 1992 (United Kingdom) - a sign advertising Tampax during World War II - the original patent - an instruction sheet from the 1930s

copyright 2006 Harry Finley