Object Details
- Description
- This Duke Condom vending machine was in use during the 1940s. Duke condoms were manufactured by the Circle Rubber Corporation of Newark, New Jersey. The machine dispensed one super thin nipple-ended transparent prophylactic condom for a quarter. The machine notes that the condom is “sold for the prevention of disease only” and that “this machine is placed here as a public health service.”
- Prior to World War II, large condom manufacturers often sold their condoms only to pharmacists to give their wares a moral superiority by ensuring they were used only for their prophylactic purpose and not for contraception. Purchasing condoms from a pharmacy was efficient but also carried a hefty price tag. Many buyers would purchase cheaper condoms from a variety of vendors including barbershops, bartenders, bell hops, street peddlers, and vending machines. Vending machines were especially appealing as buyers could use them to buy condoms discreetly.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- maker
- Circle Rubber Corp.
- date made
- ca 1940s-1950s
- Physical Description
- metal (overall material)
- Object Name
- vending machine, condom
- Other Terms
- Condom Vending Machine; Manufacturing And Dispensing Equipment
