Southalls' ads
from the United Kingdom, 1888-1913
Lister's
[Sanitary] Towels (U.S.A.,
1890s-1920s?) 4 ads for the first American
disposable pad, by Johnson & Johnson
Read the main Hartmann
page and see similar early U.K. towels
(menstrual pads) by Mosana.
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MUSEUM OF MENSTRUATION AND
WOMEN'S HEALTH
Early disposable menstrual
napkin: Southalls'
(U.K.)
Large box with single pad (date?)
Southalls'
ads from the United Kingdom,
1888-1913. Lister's
[Sanitary] Towels (U.S.A.,
1890s-1920s?) 4 ads for the first
American disposable pad, by
Johnson & Johnson
Read the main
Hartmann page and see
similar early U.K. towels
(menstrual pads) by Mosana.
I thank
Andrew Smith of the United
Kingdon for this generous gift
as well as two others!
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Below:
The filler, the interior absorbent
part, is probably cotton. The
gauze covering is coarse. A loop
on each end (second photo) allows
the wearer to use it with a belt or
with a hook or button. The woman
could use the two safety pins (top
photo) to attach it to underwear
or belt.
The filler measures 8 x 3 x 3/4"
(about 20 x 7.5 x 1.9 cm) when in
the relaxed "accordion" state
below. The loops and material
holding them (which have no
filler) each measure about 3"
giving a whole pad length of about
14". When the pad was stretched as
it would be when worn it could
measure 2-3" longer. Nevertheless,
it didn't approach the length of
the giant
pads of the 1920s and
probably before - and afterwards;
most women probably feel any pad
is too big.
Decades of
oxygen and chemicals in the box
discolored part of the pad.
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