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1990s Norwegian exhibition of the history of menstrual hygiene in
Scandinavia on the occasion of the 50th
anniversary of the SCA Mølnlycke menstrual
products company showing old
washable pads.
German brief
panty (German: Slip, Unterhosen) for menstruation
(about 1960)
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MUSEUM OF MENSTRUATION AND WOMEN'S HEALTH
German menstrual pads,
1908-1990s
from an exhibition catalog
This illustration comes from
"Menstruation: Monatshygiene im Wandel von
1900 bis heute," the catalog of the
exhibition at the Lorsch branch of the
Hessian State Museum in Darmstadt, Germany,
that occurred from 26 November 1998 to 31
July 1999.
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It's interesting that after chasing commercial
washable pads from the markets in
America and probably most of Europe - Raise your hand if you
want to wash your pad! - washables
made a comeback among certain groups mainly
because of environmental concerns.
Below: Center
item: a silk
washable pad ("Vivas") in its packaging,
1992-93.
It measures 231 x 160 x 7 mm (9.1 x 6.3 x
0.3").
Read the interesting
text on the
packaging [I added the red; my
translation]:
Vivas silk pad for menstruation.
Washable. MIDDLE [MIDI] size: recommended
price
DM (German marks) 13.90. GOOD FOR MY BODY
AND GOOD FOR NATURE.
Vivas silk pad made of excellent raw
silk--extremely absorbent because of
several layers of various woven
patterns. Therefore wonderfully
soft and gentle to
the skin. Air can circulate, preventing
odor and skin irritation. After use
Vivas doesn't wind up in the trash. You
can use them 4-5
years until they go
back into nature. Sizes : MIDI for regular
bleeding. MAXI for heavy bleeding
and for night. Wash before using them the
first time. After
use soften them
in cold water and wash them in the next
laundry, 40-60° [C]. After drying
rub them together, which makes the silk
again very soft. Light and
secure,
no additional
fastening necessary in a tight-fitting
cotton panty because fabric
on fabric doesn't slip. Almost
necessities: the VIVAS ceramic pot for softening
the pad. The VIVAS pouch for
safekeeping. Printed on 100 percent
recycled paper.
[Mentrual cups
& sponges
often come with containers.]
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End | pattern for
homemade pad & belt, 1908 - knitted
washable menstrual pad, about 1948-1950 -
disposable pads from East Germany, 1950-1960s - silk washable pad, 1990s
German patterns for making
pads and belts, about 1900
Instructions for making Japanese pads, early 20th century?
German washable pad ads, about 1900
American washable pads, 1902 & 1908
German washable pads and
belt, with case (about 1935-40).
German brief panty
(German: Slip, Unterhosen) for menstruation (about
1960)
© 2011 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\
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