19th
Century Women and
The
Monthly Cycle
By Virginia Mescher
Edited by Wendy King
Any female reenactor will tell you that 19th Century women's undergarments were much different than they are today. The period (crotchless) drawers raise the question of ‘How did ladies handle their menstrual periods?"
In the book, Victorians Unbuttoned by Sarah Levitt there is a picture of an early sanitary belt. The description is as follows: "An early example of a 'ladies' belt,' in red and blue silk with chamois leather pads at the hips and under the toggle towel fastenings, to prevent chafing. Adjusted by an elastic piece in the front." It is dated 1849. There is a picture of the belt, but it is hard to describe.
In the magazine of the Costume Society Dress Vol. 24, 1997, an article titled Menstrual Products Patented in the US 1854 –1921, contains a picture of an 1854 patent of a menstrual belt, and is described as such. "The method usually adopted by females to secure themselves from inconvenience during their menstrual periods is to girdle themselves with a tape or string to which the ends of the napkin used to cover the vulva are attached."
The article goes on to say that steel and leather were commonly used in menstrual supporters. The belts are usually shown and described as being worn around the hips. By 1858, India rubber was used in menstrual products. Another menstrual protection product was called "receivers". They could be made from rubber, gutta-percha, elastic rubber, sheet rubber, and dental rubber. As for the pads or absorbents, they could be made from oil silk, which could be easily washed. Other absorbents were natural sponges, cotton fibers, cotton waste, wood wool, wadding, paper, wood fibers, and other fibrous materials such as fabrics of linen,
Turkish toweling, bath toweling, and canton flannel. In 1865, Edward Perry wrote, "The sponge can, of course, be removed and rinsed out and again inserted; or should this be disagreeable, it can be thrown away or some other less expensive substance, such as cotton wadding...."
I also, found in a catalogue of India Rubber and Gutta-percha products, some items that could be used for menstrual periods, though the term itself was not mentioned. Accouchment (pertaining to childbirth) belts were sold as well as felted sponges backed with rubber were available.
An article written by Laura Kidd, (a condensation of her PhD dissertation, titled "Menstrual Technology in the United States, 1854 through 1921" done for Iowa State University, 1994.) mentions the book: "The Diseases of Woman, Their Causes and Cure Familiarly Explained; with Practical Hints for Their Prevention and for the Preservation of Female Health" by F. Hollic, MD (1853).
The book contained advice for profuse menstruation. The following suggestions were mentioned: "In those severe cases [speaking of abnormal flows]...we may employ mechanical means to prevent it. The best of which, and the most readily prepared, is called the 'tampon' or 'plug.' It may be made of linen rag or cotton, or sponge, in the form of a ball, and introduced into the vagina like a pessary. It should be large enough to completely fill the passage, but must not be introduced more than about two inches, for fear of irritating and inflaming the mouth of the wound, which is then very sensative [sic]."
"A very good way to make the plug is, to cut out round pieces of soft linen cloth, then pass a stout thread through the middle of each and press them close together, till the mass is an inch thick. The string is convenient for pulling it out again, and should always be attached to every one. A small bag filled with tan, or ashes, or sawdust soaked in alum water, is also very excellent. These plugs should not be withdrawn in a hurry, unless severe symptoms supervene, and when they are removed, care must be taken not to disturb or irritate the parts."
There were several pictures of what was referred to as "absorbents," The article goes on to describe Perry's menstrual product (referred to earlier). It says "....these products [Perry's product] were not designed to wrap around the sewn crotch section of the underdrawers. Instead the pressure of the thighs on the pad during use would naturally bend the sides of the menstrual product downward. The sides would then lie against the inside of the thighs, and could absorb any escaping discharge."
According to the article, the first disposable pad was granted to Joseph Hatch in 1875, and by 1921 there had been 39 patents for these products.
There was a patent picture (1906) of a "catamenial bandage" [menstrual pad] which looked like a fabric version of the old style pads of today, that were attached to a belt. The ends were several inches wide and [contained] only two layers of fabric. The mid-section was thicker, having extra absorbents in this section.
The article goes on to say, [speaking of types of pads] "....some patentees attempted to combine disposability and reusability. These menstrual pads were flat pieces of absorbent woven fabrics, folded into rectangular napkins. For extra absorbency, cotton waste fibers could be inserted into the inner folds....After use, the absorbent could be discarded and the fabric could be washed and reused."
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FOOTNOTES ********************************************
From the footnotes in the article "A homemade sanitary belt and sanitary napkin are housed at the Valentine Museum in Richmond, VA. According to the accession card, these artifacts are dated circa, 1850's. The napkin is a knitted strip of coarse cotton yarns, tapering at both ends, with a buttonhole in the shorter end, and is approximately 25 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. The belt is a double strip of coarse cotton fabric, tapering to a squared end, with buttonholes at the broad end and approximately 2 inches from the narrow end. It is roughly 24 inches long, and varies in width from 1/2 inch to 1 inch."
The Curse: A Cultural History of Menstruation, by
Janice Delaney, Mary Jane Lupton, Emily Toth.
(New York, Dutton, 1976. RG163.D44 1976)
A revised edition appeared in 1988 A Univ. of Illinois
Press edition w/ a New LC class:
# QP263. D45 1988
p
d45 1988
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