200-Year-Old Condom Featuring Erotic Art Displayed In Dutch Museum: 'Object To Laugh At...'

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Joyce Zelen, curator of prints at the Rijksmuseum, said that ultraviolet testing confirmed that the condom had never been used.
A rare 19th-century condom made from a sheep's appendix and printed with an explicit image is now on public display for the first time at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The unusual object, believed to be a luxury brothel souvenir from the 1830s, is the centerpiece of a new exhibition exploring sex, health and satire in the 19th century.
Joyce Zelen, curator of prints at the Rijksmuseum, said that ultraviolet testing confirmed it had never been used. Printed on the flattened intestine of a sheep or goat using a copper plate, the image on the condom shows a nun with her legs open, surrounded by three clergymen lifting their robes to reveal erections. Below the scene is the caption in French: 'Voila mon choix" ('This is my choice").
Condoms like this were part of a booming 19th-century trade. At the time, such items offered limited protection against sexually transmitted infections, especially syphilis- a widespread health threat at the time.
'This was probably made for someone who appreciated both erotic humor and classical references," Joyce Zelen said.
'The hardest part was deciding who would call the boss to ask permission to buy a condom," Joyce Zelen joked. The condom is now featured in the museum's new exhibition 'Safe Sex?", which explores 19th-century perspectives on prostitution, desire and disease. It will remain on view in the Rijksmuseum's Print Room until the end of November.
First Published:
June 04, 2025, 19:06 IST

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