See more
Tampax items: Was
Tampax the first French commercial tampon?
Tampax
menstrual tampons, 1938, France and U.S.A.
compared. American ad from August 1965 - nudity in
an ad: May 1992 (United
Kingdom) - a sign
advertising Tampax during World War II - the
original patent
- an instruction
sheet from the 1930s
See a Modess True or
False? ad in The American Girl magazine,
January 1947, and actress Carol
Lynley in "How Shall I Tell My Daughter"
booklet ad (1955) - Modess
. . . . because ads (many dates).
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Cardboard store
countertop ad for French Tampax,
probably 1938 and
Tampax magazine ads in Marie
Claire magazine, 1938, France
The American Kotex
pads and Tampax tampons marched around the
world in the 1930s, the pad
having gotten about a 10-year lead.
The tampon had the tougher path,
being strange
to most women, who normally used a
piece of cotton or wool outside
their bodies to absorb menstrual
discharge.
But as the Dutch donor of these
countertop-sign scans writes (I
added the color),
To the question of how long
Tampax was on sale in France (and the
Netherlands): I think only in 1938, maybe
early 1939. [See French Tampax
tampons and their box from 1938.]
I have several Dutch and French
advertisements dated in 1938 and none
from 1939 and afterwards (and nothing
from 1936/1937). [The Dutchman
collects published artifacts of
WW II and of menstrual
products.]
I think the concept was too modern for that
time with the looming World
War II. Also, disposable
sanitary napkins were new in
those times. Many French (and Dutch)
women I think used washable napkins
[German,
Norwegian,
Italian
examples] before WW II.
The donor comments on the
photographer of the woman:
The photo on the display is
from Pierre Boucher and if you google
that name, it turns out he was a
modern photographer of the thirties
(started in about 1935) and beyond!
And Tampax was the same, especially in
the thirties: a modern concept of
sanitary protection. (See his art:
https://www.google.nl/#q=pierre+boucher+photo
) NB: it is possible that another
photographer also was called Pierre
Boucher but I think about 99.9% not.
More early counter top displays
for tampons: Both 1938, U.S.A.: B-ettes,
Fibs
A Dutchman who has generously
contributed many items and scans to
MUM contributed these scans, plus
commentary.
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Below:
The donor said the countertop display
measures 178 x 267mm (7 x 10.5"). See an
earlier American tampon ad (for fax)
using a swimsuit,
a common
motif even later. It showed women need not be worried by
water when menstruating.
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Below:
My translation, top down:
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No more
PADS
belts
pins
...
[The large black or blue 0 I take
to mean NO -
clever. Reminds me of a great French 1989
o.b. ad. And of course the words
repeat the American Tampax battle
cry of freedom (a song
from 1862) and of other brands.]
A [The] Woman
finally knows Freedom!
Photo Pierre Boucher
[see discussion above.]
TAMPAX
registered trademark
MENSTRUAL TAMPONS
SANITARY PROTECTION
BY internal ABSORPTION
INVISIBLE
EVERY NORMAL WOMEN
IS ABLE TO USE TAMPAX
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Below:
The back of
the counter-top ad above showing its
support and an envelope
(80 x 86 x 18mm) to contain - what?
The scan donor suggests that little folders or
leaflets explaining
Tampax's virtues filled it.
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Below:
See the enlarged,
translated ad from a 1938 Marie
Claire magazine.
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Below:
See the enlarged,
translated ad from a 1938 Marie
Claire magazine.
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See a small French Tampax ad
from the 1960s -
1970s.
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More
Tampax items: See instructions
for the 1936 American Tampax - Dutch
Tampax ads from 1938 (and here,
virtually identical to a contemporary
American ad) - American ad from August 1965
- nudity in an ad: May 1992 (United
Kingdom) - an American sign
advertising Tampax during World
War II - the original patent
- an instruction
sheet from the 1930s
copyright 2014 Harry Finley
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