Object Details
- Youngs Rubber Corp.
- Description
- This metal box, which originally held condoms, has an image of the head of a Trojan warrior. On the front of the box, an inscription reads “THE WHITE / TROJANS / TRADE MARK REGISTERED.” Inscriptions on the bottom read “SOLD IN DRUG STORES EXCLUSIVELY / TROJANS ARE WATER TESTED / ON OUR PATENTED MACHINES / YOUNGS RUBBER CORPORATION / MANUFACTURER / TRENTON, N.J. / SOLE DISTRIBUTOR / NEW YORK, N.Y. / MADE IN U.S.A.”
- These Trojans brand condoms were manufactured by the Youngs Rubber Company of Trenton, New Jersey during the 1920s and 1930s. Founded by Merle Young, Youngs’ Rubber Company was established in 1916.
- The imagery behind the company’s Trojan brand was specifically designed to appeal to men, who were the primary consumers of condoms at that time. The red and white image of a helmeted warrior underscored the idea of virility and masculinity while subtly pushing the idea of sex as a conquest. In later years, as the product became increasingly well-known, the image of a helmeted warrior became smaller and moved from the center of the company’s packaging to a corner.
- In 1872, the Comstock Act had prohibited interstate commerce in obscene literature and immoral material. Condoms and other forms of birth control fell under the category of “immoral material.” As forbidden material, condoms were rarely advertised openly.
- However, during the early twentieth century, rising concerns about gonorrhea and syphilis led a growing number of public health advocates to call for condoms to be sold to prevent disease. In 1918, a court case in New York, (The People of the State of New York v Margaret H. Sanger) clarified that physicians could prescribe condoms to prevent disease. Named after Judge Frederick Crane who wrote the opinion in the case, the Crane decision opened the door for condom manufacturers to openly advertise and sell condoms, provided they were sold as a disease preventative.
- Unlike cheap condoms which were often surreptitiously sold on the street, Trojans were “sold exclusively in drug stores.” By marketing their condoms for drug stores and insisting that their condoms were intended solely for the prevention of disease, Youngs Rubber Company abided by the law. Consumers, however, were free to use condoms in any manner they chose.
- In the 1920s and 1930s, Youngs’ condoms were tested to prevent pinprick holes and tears. The process was labor intensive and led to Trojan condoms being substantially more expensive than untested condoms. In 1940, the company developed a patented system by which water was sprayed over rolled condoms to determine if leaks occurred. This enabled the company to sell their condoms at a lower cost and to gain market dominance throughout the second half of the twentieth century.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ca 1930s-1950s
- ID Number
- MG.293320.1526
- catalog number
- 293320.1526
- accession number
- 293320
- Object Name
- Condoms
- contraceptive, condom
- Other Terms
- Condoms; Contraceptives
- Physical Description
- metal (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 5.2 cm x 2.8 cm x 4.6 cm; 2 1/16 in x 1 1/8 in x 1 13/16 in
- overall: 1 7/8 in x 2 1/4 in x 3/8 in; 4.7625 cm x 5.715 cm x .9525 cm
- place made
- United States: New Jersey, Trenton
- See more items in
- Medicine and Science: Medicine
- National Museum of American History
- associated subject; web subject
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Birth Control/Contraception
- Sex
- Record ID
- nmah_1298431
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-d3be-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
