Sanitary napkin and sanitary belts
Object No. 96/189/2
This hand-sewn sanitary napkin is from the personal belongings of Sydney woman, Mrs Ellen Stephenson, who was born in 1911. It probably dates from somewhere between 1940 and 1960 and is made from old towelling material, probably a baby's nappy, and has loops at either end to attach it to a belt made from pyjama cord. Mrs Stephenson began menstruating when she was around 11 years old and learnt how to make napkins from her mother. In turn she taught her own daughters, insisting that they use home-made napkins even though by that time, in the late 1950s, commercially manufactured pads were freely available and probably used by most Australian women. "Towelling pads were what my mother used so that is what we had to use", recollects her daughter, Mrs Anne Smith. Anne had to wash her own napkins just as her mother had done but, unlike her mother, Anne had a commercially manufactured sanitary belt to which she attached the napkin by safety pins.
Loading...
Summary
Object Statement
Sanitary napkin and sanitary belts (2), cotton, hand made by Ellen Stephenson, Australia, c. 1940-1960
Physical Description
Sanitary napkin and sanitary belts, cotton, hand made by Mrs Ellen Stephenson, Australia, [1940-1960]. (-1)Sanitary napkin made of layers of white towelling material (probably old baby nappy) with white cotton tape tabs sewn on it. (-2)Belt, attached to napkin, made of white cotton pyjama cord tape. (-3)Spare belt, made of white cotton pyjama cord tape.
DIMENSIONS
Width
90 mm
Depth
25 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Made by the donor Mrs Ellen Stephenson for her own use. Mrs Stephenson would have used sanitary napkins and belts such as these from around 1922 to 1960. These examples probably date from 1940-1960.
HISTORY
Notes
This hand made sanitary napkin is from the personal belongings of Mrs Ellen Stephenson who was born in 1911 and is now 83 years old. It is made from old towelling material, probably a baby's nappy, and is meant to be re-usable, having to be washed each time it was used. Mrs Stephenson began menstruating when she was around 11 years old. She learnt how to make pads from her own mother, and in turn taught her daughters, including Anne (now Mrs Anne Smith). Anne was born in 1945 and began menstruating when she was around 13 years old. Her mother insisted that she use the home-made pads, even though by that time (around 1958) commercially manufactured pads were freely available and probably used by most Australian women. "Towelling pads were what my mother used so that is what we had to use". However, unlike her mother, Anne had a commercially manufactured sanitary belt to which she attached the pad by safety pins. Anne had to wash her own pads. The family lived in Sydney at Balgowlah.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs Ellen Anastasia Stephenson and Mrs Anne Patricia Smith
Acquisition Date
14 May 1996
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
Image Licensing Enquiry
Object Enquiry