Sears and Roebuck advertised a popular one as a regular old household sponge, but it was called a “ladies fine cup shaped sponge with netting," and had a string for easy removal. Other common blocking devices were pessaries, which doctors insert into the vagina to support bladders and other prolapsing organs.
The best way to avoid pregnancy in the Victorian, going into the Edwardian era, was abstinence. Couples avoided sexual activity because what little they had heard about contraception seemed like an impractical thing to do.
The late 18th century saw the establishment of two shops in London devoted entirely to the sale of condoms. Made out of sheep guts, these condoms were carefully soaked for a couple of hours before use, to make them pliable and easy to put on.
The Oldest Methods
Around 1850 B.C. Egyptian women mixed acacia leaves with honey or used animal dung to make vaginal suppositories to prevent pregnancy. The Greeks in the 4th century B.C. used natural ointments made with olive and cedar oil as spermicides. A popular Roman writer advocated abstinence.
Nineteenth Century
Scientists did not know enough about pregnancy to develop a reliable test. However, for sexually active women, the best method for diagnosing pregnancy remained careful observation of their own physical signs and symptoms (such as morning sickness).
The condoms used in Ancient Rome were made of linen and animal (sheep and goat) intestine or bladder. It is possible that they used muscle tissue from dead combatants but no hard evidence for this exists. The archaic Djukas[1] tribe that inhabited New Guinea developed its own idea of the condom.
Victorian slang for breasts was 'Cupid's kettledrums'.
Some of the most popular birth control methods and devices in the 1910s included spermicides, douches, an early diaphragm called the Dutch pessary, and ergot pills, which induced abortions.
Condoms made from animal intestines—usually those of sheep, calves, or goats—remained the main style through the mid-1800s. Used for both pregnancy- and disease-prevention, these condoms stayed in place with a ribbon that men tied around the bases of their penises.
Lemon. In the past, people assumed the citric acid in lemon possessed spermicidal qualities, making this fruit an effective form of ancient birth control. Women would soak sponges or cotton in lemon juice and insert them into their vaginas. It would both act as a barrier to the cervix and as a spermicide.
The earliest forms of birth control, as well as abortion, were found in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia as far back as 1850 BC. Papyrus scrolls were found to contain directions on how to make birth control, using honey, acacia leaves, and also lint as a form of cervical cap to prevent sperm from entering the womb.
There are multiple sources suggesting that lemon juice has also been used as a natural spermicide through the ages. There have been recorded uses of lemon juice used by women in the Mediterranean for more than 300 years. Sponges or rags would be soaked in fresh lemon juice before inserting them into the vagina.
Therefore, while women continued most of their daily work, they avoided activities they believed could halt the flow. The most salient precaution was avoiding getting chilled, whether by bathing, doing the wash in cold water, or working outside in cold, damp weather.
From the 18th century until the development of modern methods, withdrawal was one of the most popular methods of birth-control in Europe, North America, and elsewhere.
1800s. In 1839, inventor Charles Goodyear discovered rubber vulcanization, the technology of which led to the creation of the first rubber condoms in 1855.
But in 1924, the year Season 5 begins, condoms were the most commonly prescribed method of birth control for men while women used pessaries – rudimentary rubber molds which would later evolve into cervical caps or the slightly larger barrier devices known as diaphragms.
In the 1970s, scientists first began experimenting with a male hormonal contraceptive. The experiments used synthetic testosterone alone and also in combination with a synthetic progesterone hormone, called progestin, to suppress the production of both testosterone and sperm in an injection.
In the TV series Downton Abbey, Anna Bates, lady's maid to Lady Mary Crawley, buys a 1920s contraceptive sponge for her mistress. Later the device is found by Anna's husband John Bates who assumes she is using it herself.
Across Europe, décolletage was often a feature of the dress of the late Middle Ages; this continued through the Victorian period. Gowns that exposed a woman's neck and the top of her chest were very common and uncontroversial in Europe from at least the 11th century until the mid-19th century.
Bring back 'firkytoodling': Victorian slang for a kiss and a cuddle. Firkytoodling is now one of my favourite words.
Bronze boobs = three months of breastfeeding. Silver boobs = six months of breastfeeding.
Barrier methods were always very popular. A halved, emptied lemon skin placed over the cervix worked well, for example, as did sponges soaked in natural spermicides such as vinegar.
In Japan and China, condoms were in use before the 15th century. In the former, condoms were made of tortoiseshell and, later, thin leather. In China they were made out of oiled paper or lamb intestines. They didn't differ much from condoms in 18th-century Europe, which were made out of linen or animal intestine.