World’s Strangest

The condom industry in America, which had been quite robust to that point, was pushed underground after the country went full prude and the Comstock Act of 1873 outlawed the sale of contraceptives by mail. People still bought them, but advertising had to be very creative to get around the law. Carol Queen says, “What’s interesting [...]

Public health posters from the World War I and World War II eras warned soldiers of the dire consequences of venereal diseases (now called STDs). Since military men were the target, blame was squarely put on the woman they may encounter. This gallery at Environmental Graffiti also features a French poster that even a non-French [...]