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
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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.
I thank the donor for this
and many other items donated to
this museum!
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Below:
Small
versions of the page, enlarged below &
here.
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Below:
Front of the black &
white page, which measures
8 x 11 3/4" (20.3 x 29 .8
cm).
Enlargement
below.
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Below:
Back of the page.
Enlargement
next page.
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© 2010 Harry Finley. It is illegal to
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