History is honestly kind of gross. When you start digging into the visual record of human contraception, you aren't greeted by sleek, medical-grade silicone or the sterile aesthetic of a modern pharmacy. Instead, you're looking at things that look more like a taxidermy project gone wrong. Pictures of the first condoms are floating around museum archives—like the British Museum or the Science Museum in London—and they tell a story that's way more complicated than just "protecting yourself."
People have always tried to avoid pregnancy or disease. It’s a human constant. But the ways we went about it before the 1840s were visceral, tactile, and, quite frankly, a massive hassle.
We’re talking about animal intestines. We’re talking about linen soaked in chemicals. We’re talking about items that were meant to be washed and reused for years. If that thought makes you cringe, you’re not alone. But for a nobleman in the 1700s, a well-crafted "sheep's gut" was a luxury item.
The oldest surviving pictures of the first condoms
If you want to see the real deal, you have to look at the Lund Collection in Sweden or the Science Museum in London. There is one specific specimen found in Dudley Castle that dates back to the mid-1600s. It’s basically a piece of animal membrane.
It doesn’t look like a condom. Not really.
It looks like a yellowish, translucent tube of parchment. It’s dry. Brittle. It’s got a little drawstring at the open end because, back then, there was no such thing as elastic. You literally had to tie it on. Imagine the mood-killer that must have been.
The Dudley Castle finds were discovered in a medieval latrine. That tells us a lot about who was using them—likely soldiers or high-status individuals who could afford the luxury of "protection" during the English Civil War. At the time, syphilis was absolutely ravaging Europe. It wasn't just about birth control; it was about not having your nose fall off from a bacterial infection.
Why were they made of animal guts anyway?
It’s a matter of availability. Before Charles Goodyear figured out how to vulcanize rubber in 1839, humans had to use what was around. The cecum of a sheep or a goat was the perfect shape. It was thin enough to provide some sensation—though "thin" is a relative term here—and strong enough not to tear easily.
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The process of making these was specialized work.
First, the intestine had to be cleaned thoroughly. Then, it was treated with sulfur or lye to soften it. After that, it was stretched over a wooden mold to dry.
When you look at pictures of the first condoms from this era, you’ll notice they are often surprisingly short. They didn’t cover the entire shaft. They only covered the very tip. This was based on the medical understanding of the time, which prioritized blocking the "seed" rather than total skin-to-skin protection.
The linen era and the "painless" solution
Before the animal gut became the gold standard for the wealthy, there was linen. Gabrielle Falloppio—yes, the guy the Fallopian tubes are named after—wrote about these in 1564. He claimed to have invented a linen sheath that he tested on 1,100 men. According to him, none of them contracted syphilis.
He was probably lying about the numbers. Doctors back then were just as prone to marketing hyperbole as anyone else today.
These linen condoms were often soaked in salt or herbs to act as a rudimentary spermicide or disinfectant. They were scratchy. They were uncomfortable. And they didn't really work for birth control because linen is porous. You can’t stop a microscopic sperm cell with a weave of fabric, no matter how much salt you soak it in.
The 18th-century "Cundum" and the social stigma
By the 1700s, condoms were becoming a bit of a "bad boy" accessory.
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Giacomo Casanova, the world’s most famous lover, referred to them as "English Riding Coats." He wasn't a fan. He complained that they felt like wearing dead skin and that they ruined the experience. But he used them. He had to.
In London, you could go to shops owned by women like Mrs. Philips or Mrs. Perkins. They were the titans of the early prophylactic industry. They sold these animal-membrane sheaths in little silk-lined boxes.
If you look at the satirical prints from the 18th century, like those by James Gillray, you see condoms depicted as something used by the degenerate elite. They weren't for the common man. A single condom in 1750 could cost a worker a week’s wages. Because they were so expensive, people washed them.
Think about that. You’d use it, wash it, oil it with almond oil or petroleum to keep it supple, and tuck it away for next time.
The Goodyear revolution changed everything
The 1840s changed the visual history of the condom forever. Vulcanized rubber meant that condoms could finally be mass-produced. They were more reliable, they were slightly more comfortable, and they were finally disposable—though many people still reused them because of the cost.
Early rubber condoms were "seamed."
They weren't dipped like they are today. They were made by wrapping sheets of rubber around a mold and cementing the edges together. They were thick. Like, inner-tube thick.
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Eventually, the "latex" process was developed in the 1920s. This is when the modern image of the condom—the transparent, rolled-up ring—became the standard. But even then, they were often sold under the guise of "rubber goods" or "feminine hygiene" because Comstock Laws in the U.S. made it illegal to sell or mail "obscene" materials related to contraception.
Common misconceptions about historical pictures
People often see old drawings of "condoms" and assume they are looking at something from ancient Egypt.
You’ll hear the myth that Egyptians used colored linen sheaths as birth control. There is zero archaeological evidence for this. Most "pictures" of ancient condoms are actually depictions of ritualistic garb or decorative sheaths worn for status, not for sex.
Another one: the "fish bladder" condom. While it sounds plausible, fish bladders are generally too small and fragile for this purpose. Sheep, goats, and calves were the primary sources for centuries.
Why this history actually matters
Understanding what people went through to protect themselves puts our modern convenience into perspective. We complain about the "feel" of a 0.04mm latex barrier, while our ancestors were tying chemically-treated sheep intestines on with a string.
It also highlights the incredible jump in public health. When you see pictures of the first condoms, you’re looking at the first line of defense against plagues that wiped out entire families.
Actionable takeaways for the curious
If you want to dive deeper into this specific visual history without getting lost in the "fake history" corners of the internet, here is where you should actually look:
- Search the Wellcome Collection digital archives. Use terms like "prophylactic" or "sheath" rather than "condom." The 18th-century terminology was different.
- Look for the Dudley Castle finds. These are the most scientifically verified examples of 17th-century condoms in existence.
- Study 18th-century trade cards. Search for "Mrs. Phillips condom shop." These cards provide a fascinating look at how these items were marketed as high-end luxury goods.
- Visit the Museum of Contraception and Abortion (MUeA) website. Based in Vienna, they have one of the most comprehensive visual databases of historical birth control in the world.
The transition from "animal membrane tied with a ribbon" to "ultrathin polyurethane" is one of the most underrated engineering feats in human history. It’s gross, it’s weird, and it’s a little bit funny, but it’s the reason modern sexual health exists at all.