Many belts, sanitary aprons & underpants from the Butler, Smyth and Savage catalogs, early 20th century.
See 3 ads for American belts, 1949 and 1955, and a booklet for girls by Beltx.
Italian washable pad, about 1900.
See how a woman wore a belt in a Dutch ad. See how women wore a belt (and in a Swedish ad). See Australian belts and pads, about 1900, and Chinese belts and pad holders. Chinese pad and panty pad, Japanese pad, older. American, Sears, 1902 & 1908. German washable pads and belt, with case (about 1935-40). Hickory ads for belts, U.S.A.: 1925, 1920s.
Many more
BOOKLETS - See TAMPONS, MENSTRUAL BELTS, PADS, CUPS, SPONGES, UNDERPANTS
See how a woman wore a belt in a Dutch ad. See how women wore a belt (and in a Swedish ad). See Australian belts and pads, about 1900, and Chinese belts and pad holders. Chinese pad and panty pad, Japanese pad, older. American, Sears, 1902 & 1908. German washable pads and belt, with case (about 1935-40). Hickory ads for belts, U.S.A.: 1925, 1920s.
Phantom Kotex ad, with ad for Marjorie May's Twelfth Birthday, a menarche booklet, 1932 - Kotex doesn't show! 3 ads for Kotex menstrual pads, 1927, 1932, 1955 (U.S.A.)
Booklets menstrual hygiene companies made for girls, women and teachers - patent medicine - a list of books and articles about menstruation - videos
Ads for teenagers
Many more PADS, BOOKLETS - See TAMPONS, MENSTRUAL BELTS, CUPS, SPONGES, UNDERPANTS
HOMEPAGE
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? |
Email the museum |
Privacy on this site |
Who runs this museum?? |
Amazing women! |
Art of menstruation (and awesome ancient art of menstruation) |
Artists (non-menstrual) |
Asbestos |
Belts |
Bidets |
Birth control and religion |
Birth control drugs, old |
Birth control douche & sponges |
Founder bio |
Bly, Nellie |
MUM board |
Books: menstruation & menopause (& reviews) |
Cats |
Company booklets for girls (mostly) directory |
Contraception and religion |
Contraceptive drugs, old |
Contraceptive douche & sponges |
Costumes |
Menstrual cups |
Cup usage |
Dispensers |
Douches, pain, sprays |
Essay directory |
Examination, gynecological (pelvic) (short history) |
Extraction |
Facts-of-life booklets for girls |
Famous women in menstrual hygiene ads |
FAQ |
Feminine napkin, towel, pad directory |
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, towel, napkin directory |
Patent medicine |
Poetry directory |
Products, some current |
Puberty booklets for girls and parents|
Religion |
Religión y menstruación |
Your remedies for menstrual discomfort |
Menstrual products safety |
Sanitary napkin, towel, pad directory |
Seguridad de productos para la menstruación |
Science |
Shame |
Slapping, menstrual |
Sponges |
Synchrony |
Tampon directory |
Early tampons |
Teen ads directory |
Tour of the former museum (video) |
Towel, pad, sanitary napkin directory |
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 |
Read 10 years (1996-2006) of articles and Letters to Your MUM on this site.
Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación.

Full-page, both sides ad for
The New Victoria menstrual pad holder & belt
(late 19th, early 20th centuries?, Chicago Specialty Co., U.S.A.)
(sanitary napkin, pad, menstruation, belt, pad holder, menstrual, period, cycle)

Outrageous American advertising struts through this ad for a menstrual belt (more belts here), which is supported by customer testimonials similar to those that got Mrs. Pinkham's patent medicine empire in trouble. The testimonials themselves are similar in form to those of many patent medicines.

A similar belt, called the Victoria Band, appeared in a Japanese publication in 1918. It might be the same one, an import from England or America since it's hard to believe the Japanese would create its own belt with such a name - but it's not unknown that Japanese business people use English in product names. How about Hello Kitty? And Japan has since the late 19th century turned to the West for ideas and imports during the reign of Queen Victoria and later.

Strengthening the idea that the Japanese belt is an import from England is this bungled copy of an Aubrey Beardsley drawing for an ad for what is probably The Victoria. In a sense the pervasive feeling of evil in many of Beardsley's drawings matches the feelings of most women about menstruation.

See how a woman wore a belt in a Dutch ad and in an old Japanese ad.

I thank the donor for this and many other items donated to this museum!

Below: Small versions of the page, enlarged below & here.
Below: Front of the black & white page, which measures 8 x 11 3/4" (20.3 x 29 .8 cm).
Enlargement below.
Below: Back of the page.
Enlargement next page.
   

Below: Front side. See the similar Japanese Victoria Band from about the same time
and an American look-a-like from 1908.

NEXT | other side
Many belts, sanitary aprons & underpants from the Butler, Smyth and Savage catalogs, early 20th century.
See 3 ads for American belts, 1949 and 1955, and a booklet for girls by Beltx.
Italian washable pad, about 1900.
See how a woman wore a belt in a Dutch ad. See how women wore a belt (and in a Swedish ad). See Australian belts and pads, about 1900, and Chinese belts and pad holders. Chinese pad and panty pad, Japanese pad, older. American, Sears, 1902 & 1908. German washable pads and belt, with case (about 1935-40). Hickory ads for belts, U.S.A.: 1925, 1920s.
Many more
BOOKLETS - See TAMPONS, MENSTRUAL BELTS, PADS, CUPS, SPONGES, UNDERPANTS

© 2010 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