Dean's Peacocks Prophylactics
date: label: date made
content: ca 1930s - 1950s
name: label: maker
content: Dean Rubber Manufacturing Company
notes: label: Description
content: This tin condom case is illustrated with a blue, red, yellow, and brown peacock. The peacock is surrounded by a lake, tree, grass, yellow and red flowers, and stones. The company name "Dean's Peacocks" is written in red and white cursive font. Dean was one of the leading manufacturers of condoms during this period.
label: Description
content: Text on the back of the tin reads "Dean's reservoir end peacocks are tested on new, modern equipment for your protection. Exclusively a drug store item. An aid in preventing venereal diseases."
label: Description
content: The tin holds three condoms. They were sold 3 for 50 cents, with a dozen sold for $1.50. The tin was an American Can Company tin.
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. 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 existing penal codes allowed physicians to 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: Peacock's Reservoir Ends were sold as a prophylactic or preventive against disease. Among the more expensive condoms sold during the early to mid-twentieth century, Peacock condoms were sold primarily in drug stores. As was true with most more expensive condoms, Peacocks were tested to ensure that they had no tears or rips.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Missouri, North Kansas City
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: Sex
label: associated subject; web subject
content: Birth Control/Contraception
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: 1985.0475.131
label: catalog number
content: 1985.0475.131
label: accession number
content: 1985.0475
objectType: label: Object Name
content: condoms
label: Object Name
content: contraceptive, condom
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: tin (case material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5.3 cm x 4 cm x .5 cm; 2 1/16 in x 1 9/16 in x 3/16 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 3/4 in x 2 1/8 in x 1/4 in; 4.445 cm x 5.3975 cm x .635 cm