Rubber sponge, "Racial" brand, designed by Marie Stopes, for use at Mothers' Clinic, improved grease resisting form as used by Construction Birth Control Committee, 1931

Sponges were widely used as contraception in the early 1900s. They were one of a range of contraceptives promoted by the Society for Constructive Birth Control. The society was founded by Dr Marie Stopes (1880-1958). The trademark ‘Racial’ relates to Stopes’ belief in eugenics. This widely held theory in the early 1900s argued selective breeding could remove ‘undesirables’ from society.