Crest Wet-Pak Prophylactics
date: label: date made
content: ca 1930s - 1950s
notes: label: Description
content: This rectangular, white and gold, cardboard sleeve contains four white and gold colored square boxes. Each of the four boxes each contain three condoms, individually sealed in plastic and foil. A coat of arms logo appears on the cardboard sleeve and each square box. Text on the top of the large rectangular sleeve reads “CONTENTS ONE DOZEN.” Below the coat of arms, text reads “Crest WET-PAK PROPHYLACTICS RESERVOIR ‘TIP’ HYGENICALLY LUBRICATED.” Text on the side of the box reads “Crest WET-PAK PROPHYLACTICS HYGIENICALLY LUBRICATED NATIONAL HYGENIC PRODUCTS CORP. NEW YORK, NEW YORK U.S.A. MADE IN U.S.A.” Text at the bottom of the box reads “For Convenient Use.” The front of each of the small individual boxes reads “RESERVOIR TIP PROPHYLACTICS HYGENICALLY LUBRICATED CONTENTS ONE BOX." The bottom of these small boxes reads “SOLD BY DRUGGISTS EVERYWHERE FOR THE PREVENTION OF DISEASE.” Each condom package is labeled "For Convenient Use" and "ELECTRONICALLY TESTED AND HERMETICALLY SEALED IN FOIL FOR YOUR PROTECTION."
label: Description
content: In 1872, the Comstock Act had prohibited interstate commerce in obscene literature and immoral material. Condoms and other forms of birth control fell under the category of “immoral material.” As forbidden material, condoms were rarely advertised openly.
label: Description
content: However, during the early twentieth century, rising concerns about gonorrhea and syphilis led a growing number of public health advocates to call for condoms to be sold to prevent disease. In 1918, a court case in New York, (The People of the State of New York v Margaret H. Sanger) clarified that physicians could prescribe condoms to prevent disease. Named after Judge Frederick Crane who wrote the opinion in the case, the Crane decision opened the door for condom manufacturers to openly advertise and sell condoms, provided they were sold as a disease preventative.
label: Description
content: By selling their condoms only in drug stores, the manufacturers of these condoms were able to underscore the legitimacy of their product and to charge higher prices.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: associated place
content: United States: Louisiana, Saint Martinville
topic: label: associated subject; web subject
content: Sexually Transmitted Diseases
label: associated subject; web subject
content: Birth Control/Contraception
label: associated subject; web subject
content: Sex
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Fournet Drugstore Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1985.0475.130
label: catalog number
content: 1985.0475.130
label: accession number
content: 1985.0475
objectType: label: Object Name
content: condoms
label: Object Name
content: contraceptive, condom
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cardboard (sleeve material)
label: Physical Description
content: cardboard (box material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic; foil (condom package material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 12 cm x 6 cm x 3 cm; 4 3/4 in x 2 3/8 in x 1 3/16 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 3/4 in x 2 3/8 in x 1 1/4 in; 12.065 cm x 6.0325 cm x 3.175 cm