A 19th-century condom made from animal gut is now on display in Amsterdam.
The famous Dutch Rijksmuseum houses hundreds of thousands of drawings and prints, but this is the first time it has acquired a condom adorned with an erotic engraving. This object, which likely served as a souvenir in a brothel, provides us with information about sexuality in the 19th century.
A nun sits with her legs spread before three priests, who lift their robes to show their excitement. She points to one as if to say, "This is my choice." This unusual engraving adorns the condom on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam since Tuesday, June 3.
The piece, dated around 1850, was made from a piece of intestine, probably a sheep appendage. And, “to preempt THE question from the general public: we can say with certainty that this example was never used,” museum curator Joyce Zelenn told De Telegraaf . “That’s what underlies our theory that it was used as a souvenir in a brothel.” As for the engraving, it refers both to the issue of celibacy and to the judgment of Paris, who, in Greek mythology, had to choose the most beautiful of three goddesses.
Beyond its unusual and amusing appearance, “this condom allows us to highlight a subject that is rarely covered in our collection, namely: sexuality and prostitution in the 19th century,” the museum states on its website . It tells us both about “the pursuit of pleasure” and its playful aspect, as well as about “the fear of sexually transmitted infections, such as syphilis, and unwanted pregnancies.” If such pieces are rare, explains Joyce Zelen, “it is not only because they are made of fragile materials, but also because there was a strong taboo surrounding the subject.”
At that time, condoms could be purchased "under the counter, in bars or at the barber's," she continued to the Telegraaf.
“It was only after the discovery of vulcanized rubber in 1839 that condoms became safe and more widely available.”
As for the piece on display, which likely came from France, Zelen discovered it with a colleague six months ago at an auction. It was sold for the modest sum of 1,000 euros, reports Het Parool , and is a first. While the museum's collections already included hundreds of thousands of prints, drawings, and photographs, it did not yet have a condom print. "We had to add the word 'condom' to our database," Joyce Zelen is quoted as saying by the Amsterdam newspaper.
