1 Sanitary Belt

Made:
1980-1989 in Birmingham
1 Sanitary Belt, made by Dr White’s 1 Sanitary Belt, made by Dr White’s

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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1 Sanitary Belt, made by Dr White’s
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

1 Sanitary Belt, made by Dr White’s
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

1 Sanitary Belt, made by Dr White’s, used to hold menstrual towels in place and accompanying safety pins, 1980 – 1989.

Used between the 1890s and 1970s, the sanitary belt played an extraordinarily large role in the 20th century and was the precursor to disposable menstrual pads when they came to prominence in the 1980s. The belts are essentially a waistband of elastic that would sit on a person’s waist with two clips attached, one at the front and one at the back. A towel would be attached via the clips in order to pass from front to back and would soak up the menstrual blood. These belts were pretty much the only option up until the 1970s, yet few people know about them today.

Details

Category:
Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Contraception
Object Number:
2020-103
Materials:
cardboard and textile
Measurements:
overall: 80 mm x 50 mm x 20 mm,
type:
menstrual product

Parts

1 Sanitary Belt

1 Sanitary Belt

1 Sanitary Belt, made by Dr White’s, used to hold menstrual towels in place in cardboard box, 1980 – 1989.

Measurements:
overall: 80 mm x 50 mm x 20 mm,
Materials:
cardboard and textile
Object Number:
2020-103/1
type:
menstrual product
Safety pins for Dr White's menstrual belt

Safety pins for Dr White's menstrual belt

Pack of six safety pins for attaching a menstrual towel to a Dr White's sanitary belt.

Materials:
metal (unknown)
Object Number:
2020-103/2
type:
safety pin