Dutch museum rolls out 200-year-old condom
Published on: Wednesday, June 04, 2025
Published on: Wed, Jun 04, 2025
By: AFP Text Size: A rare 19th-century condom bearing an erotic print, possibly made from sheep intestine, is displayed at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. - Kelly Schenk / Rijksmuseum/AFP THE HAGUE: The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam on Tuesday placed on display a rare condom from around 1830, featuring an erotic print of a nun and three clergymen in provocative poses. The ancient contraceptive is probably made from a sheep's appendix and may be a souvenir from a brothel -- of which only two known copies exist, the museum said in a statement. "It shows that printmaking had many applications and offers insight into sexuality and prostitution in the 19th century," according to the museum. The museum said it would display the sheath as part of an exhibit on 19th century prostitution and sexuality. The print on the condom shows a nun lifting up her skirt and pointing her finger at three clergymen, who also have their genitals on full display. "It embodies both the lighter and darker sides of sexual health," said the museum. The Rijksmuseum noted the condom came from an era where sex was "fraught with fears of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases -- especially syphilis." The print room at the museum holds some 750,000 prints and drawings. "This is the first example in the Rijksmuseum collection of a print on a condom," noted the statement. - AFP * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
32 minutes ago
- Daily Express
Sabah dive club to hold safety talk after recent fatalities
Published on: Saturday, June 07, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jun 07, 2025 Text Size: For illustrative purposes only. - Getty Images/iStockphoto KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Dive Squad Club will host a diving safety awareness talk on July 20 following several recent scuba-related fatalities locally and abroad. Club president Sim Fui said safety must always remain a diver's top priority, warning that fatal incidents often stem from neglecting basic procedures. Advertisement He cited recent cases, including a Malaysian diver who died in strong currents near Pulau Weh and two Chinese nationals who drowned in separate Sabah diving mishaps. Two experts, Dr Eugene Tan and Warrant Officer Almudi Eskal from the Armed Forces Hospital, will lead the session focusing on medical emergencies and technical diving safety. Details of the talk will be announced via the club's official Facebook page. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
5 hours ago
- Daily Express
Sabah Umno urges action on hospital parking woes
Published on: Saturday, June 07, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jun 07, 2025 Text Size: Noraini (left) appealed to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (right) to seriously consider constructing multi-story parking facilities at HWKKS as a long-term solution to the burden faced by many patients and their families. Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Umno Wanita Chief Datuk Noraini Idris wants the Health Minister to address the parking shortage at the Sabah Women and Children's Hospital (HWKKS) in Likas, describing the situation as a matter of human dignity rather than mere convenience. The former senator said she received numerous complaints from pregnant women forced to walk long distances in their condition due to inadequate parking facilities at the hospital. Advertisement 'I cannot imagine how a mother carrying a small child feels or an anxious husband accompanying his wife who is about to give birth, having to circle around looking for parking while the life and health of their loved ones are at stake,' Noraini said in a statement, here, Thursday. 'This is no longer a matter of comfort. This is a matter of dignity, a matter of humanity,' she said. She cited cases where heavily pregnant women have had to park as far away as the Kingfisher commercial area and walk to the hospital in hot weather, rain or even while experiencing labour pains. She noted that the parking issue extends beyond the HWKKS' to nearly all major hospitals in Sabah, including Queen Elizabeth Hospital I and II, Tawau Hospital and Sandakan Hospital. Advertisement Noraini appealed to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad to seriously consider constructing multi-story parking facilities at HWKKS as a long-term solution to the burden faced by many patients and their families. She also called on the Sabah Government to step forward and comprehensively resolve the issue. 'Building multi-storey parking is not just about physical infrastructure. It is a symbol of care and humanity,' she said, adding that Sabah women have been patient for too long and it is time their voices are heard and needs properly addressed. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Bacteria halts World Expo water shows
Spectacular sight: Visitors watching a water and light display during a media preview day for the 2025 Osaka Expo in Osaka, four days before the event opened to the public, in this file photo. — AFP The discovery of high levels of bacteria has led the World Expo in Osaka to suspend daily water shows and use of a shallow play pool, organisers said. It comes after visitors also complained that swarms of tiny flying insects had invaded the vast waterfront site where Expo 2025 runs until mid-October. Nearly six million people have visited exhibits from more than 160 countries, regions and organisations since it opened in April. Although polls showed that public enthusiasm for the Expo was lukewarm before its opening, organisers say crowds have been growing, especially in recent weeks. But concerns were raised over environmental conditions at the reclaimed island site in Osaka Bay, which was once a landfill. Organisers said on Thursday that high levels of legionella bacteria had forced them to close an area with shallow water where visitors, including children, could cool off. That followed a statement on Wednesday saying daily fountain shows with music and lights at an artificial pond had been suspended for the same reason. They said they were cleaning the affected areas, adding that a decision was due yesterday on whether the shows could resume. Days before the Expo opened, a level of methane gas high enough to potentially ignite a fire was detected at the site. More recently, organisers sprayed insecticide to deter swarms of non-biting midges bothering guests. Also known as a World's Fair, the Expo phenomenon, which brought the Eiffel Tower to Paris, began with London's 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition. It is now held every five years in different global locations. — AFP
