A 200-year-old condom with an erotic etching of a NUN and cheeky three-word French message revealed
Experts share the length of the condom - and insight into the type of person who owned it
RUDE AWAKENING A 200-year-old condom with an erotic etching of a NUN and cheeky three-word French message revealed
A RARE condom with erotic etchings of a nun from almost 200-years ago has gone on display for all to see.
Drawings on the ancient contraceptive show a nun partially undressed pointing at the erect genitals of three clergymen alongside a three word message in French.
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The condom measures 20cm long
Credit: Kelly Schenk/Rijksmuseum
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It's now on display at an exhibition about sex work
Credit: AFP
It says "Voila, mon choix" which means "There, that's my choice" or "This is my choice".
This appears to be a reference to a painting called The Judgment of Paris, which shows the Trojan prince Paris judging a beauty contest between three goddesses.
The condom is thought to be a souvenir from a posh Parisian brothel dating back to 1830.
This era was fraught with fears of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases - especially syphilis.
Read more about history
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Experts say its owner would have been "fairly sophisticated and well-educated".
"In the 1830s, when this condom was made, the use of condoms was still frowned upon, especially by the church," explained Joyce Zelen, curator at the Rijksmuseum where the condom is on display.
"They were mostly sold under the counter at brothels or barber shops, though there are some reports of luxury shops offering bespoke tailoring."
The condom measures at a generous 20cm in length.
But it was inspected with a UV light and not thought to have been used.
Unlike today's latex condoms, it's believed this early version is made from a sheep's appendix.
The museum bought the piece for €1,000 (£840) at an auction in Haarlem last November.
It's now part of an exhibition about 19th century sex work.
A bald man, a thin man and a slightly overweight one can be made out on the drawing, experts say.
But it's unclear who the nun is pointing at.
"That way, any type of man could feel spoken to," Zelen added.
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