Contraceptive sponge, United Kingdom, 1901-1930

Made:
1901-1930 in United Kingdom
Rubber sponge, in original box, "Elarco" type, British Rubber sponge, in original box, "Elarco" type, British Rubber sponge, in original box, "Elarco" type, British

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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

License

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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Rubber sponge, in original box, "Elarco" type, British
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Rubber sponge, in original box, "Elarco" type, British
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Rubber sponge, in original box, "Elarco" type, British
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Rubber sponge, in original box, "Elarco" type, British

Sponges were widely used as contraception in the early 1900s. This contraceptive sponge is made of rubber. Sponges were one of a range of contraceptives promoted by the Society for Constructive Birth Control. The organisation was founded by Dr Marie Stopes (1880-1958). Stopes founded the first of her birth control clinics in Holloway, North London in 1921. She is best remembered as a feminist and a birth control pioneer. This object was donated by the Marie Stopes Memorial Foundation. The contraceptive sponge is in its original aluminium box. It was manufactured in Britain by Elarco.

Details

Category:
Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Contraception
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A606528
Materials:
sponge, rubber, string and box, aluminium
Measurements:
overall: 55 mm 43 mm, .02kg
type:
contraceptive sponge
credit:
Marie Stopes Memorial Foundation