Sheik Lubricated Prophylactics
date: label: date made
content: Mid-20th century
name: label: maker
content: Julius Schmid, Inc.
notes: label: Description
content: These Sheik brand rubber prophylactics were manufactured by Julius Schmid, Inc. of New York, New York during the middle of the 20th century. The brown and cream cardboard box has a red decal featuring a silhouetted image of a man, a sheik, riding a horse. The box’s reverse notes that “rubber prophylactics are sold in drug stores only—for protection against disease.” The box of twelve condoms was sold for $2.25, with each condom individually sealed in foil.
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: Julius Schmid Inc. exclusively supplied pharmacists with well-tested and dependable condoms, a practice that underscored that these items were sold as disease preventatives.
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: 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: 1985.0475.151
label: catalog number
content: 1985.0475.151
label: accession number
content: 1985.0475
objectType: label: Object Name
content: condoms
label: Object Name
content: contraceptive, condom
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cardboard (box material)
label: Physical Description
content: foil; plastic (condom package material)
label: Physical Description
content: rubber (condom material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 cm x 6 cm x 1.5 cm; 2 3/8 in x 2 3/8 in x 9/16 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 3/8 in x 2 3/8 in x 5/8 in; 6.0325 cm x 6.0325 cm x 1.5875 cm