Vintage. I love vintage. I was looking at old black and white photos in the studio last week: a scrapbook of army shots, Easter in Tennessee, the summer of 1965, Mom on her wedding day in the late 50’s. The beautiful, classic vintage wedding gown would knock your eyeballs out.
Mom had a hairdryer in the late 1960’s; it all fit into a portable suitcase: plastic bonnet, motor of questionable horsepower, a short pink hose that only allowed her to go as far as the end of the couch. I remember when she had to get up to answer the door, run downstairs to tend the laundry, or stir chili on the stove — she’d unhook the tube with a turn of the end cuff, and walk with the dangling hose next to her side, bonnet still on her head.
Women used to sit under gray metal hairdryers with pin curls and purple plastic rollers, the smell of permanent fixings filling the parlor, shouting to each other over a magazine. Beauty parlors were the hub of the town, always bustling with electricity.
But if you ask any woman, I bet they will tell you the greatest invention ever made is the tampon. I didn’t research its meager beginnings. But I should have. We should all pay homage to not having to wear those nasty boards between our legs anymore. Those and garter belts that left red welts mashed into the tops of your thighs, just had to go!
I wish I still had that 1963 Austin-Healey Sprite, red with a black roll bar. The muffler was always falling off and I had to wire it up with a coat hanger but I loved that car. Black Pontiac, my grandmother drove one of those. I am drawn to photograph vintage cars but only as I see them on the street. I’ve never gone to a car show. But I have tooled down University Avenue near Porky’s to check out the vintage cars and motorcycles that clog up the main artery of Frogtown between Minneapolis and St. Paul.
There are times when I long for the simpler ways cameras and toasters and projectors worked. Liz and I went to a garage sale a few weekends ago and came away with some vintage camera equipment: Argus slide projector with manual cartridge, old 8mm Kodak projector, two black manual camera bodies, a cigar-shaped Shure microphone, and 4 old tripods, one with wooden legs, that they threw in for free. There were a couple of old wine crates from Europe and even an 8-track player. The 8-track part didn’t work. But I grabbed the 8-tracks. Big and clunky as they are, I couldn’t help myself.
I used to have an 8-track player bolted to the floor of my 1968 powder blue VW Squareback. I loved that car. It was in perfect condition when I bought it from a friend in Missoula, Montana in 1976. It wasn’t warm in the mountain winters. But it drove like a dream with that big old steel blue steering wheel. The analogue 8-tracks and cassettes sound better than their digital counterparts, the closest thing to live music. But people have forgotten that. I thought of it again when I was reading about 1920’s inventions.
These days you just don’t hear about people in Hastings, Nebraska holing up in their garage and inventing another liquid sugar drink. Or the likes of a new-fangled Band-Aid hitting the market, invented by a woman in her farm kitchen in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.
Where are the new inventors? What towns and cities are thriving with entrepreneurs taking new chances on an old dream. I kind of wish they’d come out with a half-decent garden weeder. None of the ones I’ve tried work. I still get a sore wrist after every dance through the compost of our garden gates.
There’s a tree swing on an ancient oak next to our driveway. I saw the neighbor kid’s grandmother swinging on it last weekend. Flying high out over the lower elm, do you think she wondered who invented the tree swing? Or more about if the rope wrapping was going to hold close to the branch?
The inventions of our time define who we are. Old-style mechanics are the way to go. The less moving parts, the better. Who can work on their own cars these days? They are way too computerized and digital. And one closed circuit shuts down the whole engine; I have to walk home from the store. I’ll be sure to put a Spider-Man Band-Aid on those blisters.
____________________________________
UPDATE: I had to look. Check out this great article on the history of Who Invented Tampons?, June 6th, 2006, on The Straight Dope (LINK). Though women are connected to the origins and beginnings of the invention of the tampon, there are lots of surprises there. The ancient Egyptians invented the first disposable tampons from softened papyrus; the ancient Greeks from lint wrapped around a small piece of wood (recorded in writing by Hippocrates in the fifth century B.C.)
And guess what? Our old friend Johnson & Johnson (the Band-Aid inventors) are connected to the first commercial sanitary pad — Lister’s Towels, first manufactured in 1896.
Commercial tampons were probably available by the late 1920s or early 1930s, but they didn’t gain mainstream acceptance until Tampax appeared on the market in 1936. (In 1935, Kimberly-Clark was offered the patent rights but thought it would be like throwing money out the window. Not a good move. The product became Tampax, the first tampon with an applicator patented by Dr. Earl Haas.) Here’s what the article says about Earl’s product:
After failing to get people interested in his invention (including the Johnson & Johnson company), on October 16, 1933 he finally sold the patent and trademark to a Denver businesswoman, Gertrude Tenderich, for $32,000. She started the Tampax company and was its first president. Tenderich was an ambitious German immigrant who made the first Tampax tampons at her home using a sewing machine and Dr. Haas’s compression machine.”
I guess the tampon was another great invention rooted in the 1920’s!
-posted on red Ravine, Monday, June 23rd, 2008
-related to Topic post, WRITING TOPIC – BAND-AIDS® & OTHER 1920’s INVENTIONS
The tampon was quite a liberating little item, freeing women from those bulky pads so they could go swimming, participate in various sports, etc.
I’m not sure how I’d feel if they were still made of lint wrapped around wood… that just doesn’t sound very comfortable.
LikeLike
What about the papyrus leaves? I’ve been on many a rugged camping trip where I had to make toilet paper out of leaves. I’m guessing women got real inventive with these things early on. I was always glad I wasn’t incarnated during the Wild West days. I just can’t imagine 1000’s of miles of wagon train trails. 8) Yeah, the lint and wood — not a good thing.
LikeLike
I shouldn’t have read this, QM — I still have mine to write. But I will do a slow walk and hopefully clear my mind.
I wanted to comment on tampons as the best invention, too. I agree; they’re a good one.
Also, I loved hearing about your mother’s hair dryer. And the word “bonnet.” It goes with all the other words — quotidian, Jazzercize, Ross Dress for Less — that I love. Bonnet. 8)
Oh wow, I just realized you added the Update with the tampon link. You’re such the history buff!!
So, you bought the 8-tracks?
LikeLike
sorry for boasting, but I will start with some statement that was destroyed by your article and thus made my farewell the happiest story of discovering my true identity. So, I was used to say something wise in my comments (I thought thus at least), but while reading your heartfelt story I have felt just one – I comprehended well the comments don’t follow, BECAUSE I hadn’t anything to comment. I can just to envy you your memory – my fate was living without the past . That should be awful, but I have read your story and … while having no past I dont know what do I feel at a moment. One is known for sure – I have recognized the smell and my hot applause made my farewell the sunny in deep midnight. Thank you.
LikeLike
Tomas, it would be so hard to learn to live without the past and without memory. I have great respect for your courage and your ability to rise above, to go forward, to live every moment. Thank you so much for your comment.
LikeLike
ybonesy, I’m a total history buff. I love to know where people, places, and things come from — to make the connection of a giant whole, circles within circles as Suz would say. I just can’t help myself. Isn’t that a great link on the Invention of Tampons at The Straight Dope. There are so many details in the article. It’s worth the read.
I have to give credit where credit is due — when we were in Wisconsin, we were talking about hair dryers and Bob mentioned the “bonnet” hair dryer. And I couldn’t quite catch the word, I had not heard it in so long. So I said, “What did you say?” And he said, “Bonnet.”
And I realized there was no other word to describe the bowl that women put over their heads when they dry their hair, whether it is steel or plastic. So from then on, I realized I wanted to use the word “bonnet” somewhere. And it thrills me that you picked up on it! 8)
LikeLike
Oh, ybonesy, I forgot — yes, I have about 8 or 10 8-tracks now. It was a great garage sale, the whole family was there and their grandfather had built the house. He was a packrat who maintained pool and pinball machines so he had TONS of electronics. (And we didn’t even see his workshop!)
Anyway, in the end, they ended up giving us a bunch of stuff. When I asked if they had an 8-track player, they said, yeah, and his son took me inside and showed me the console player. The radio worked on it but we tried the 8-track and it didn’t change tracks at all. 😦
I was sad, but it’s just fun to have the 8-tracks. Liz is working on using vintage electronics in her video pieces. So it’s going to be really fun to have all this old equipment. We got it for a song. Also a bunch of lights from the 50’s that probably used to be outdoor lights for a Christmas display. Totally wild stuff!
LikeLike
That’s really interesting. Come see my Timeship as well. Godspeed!
LikeLike
QM, this was another interesting & informative post! I love the thought of seeing Mom with her portable hairdryer & bonnet! My Mother had one also, along with a huge blue electric hairbrush! Do you remember those? The hairbrush must have weighed 3 lbs..I loved having her brush my hair with it!
Also, I have quite a weird story about tampons. When I was in my mid 20’s, I began my day at work with the onset of terrible cramps. I took a few pills & realized that I had no tampons. A friend in the office gave me one. I should have been set, but within about 15 minutes I broke out in hives all over my body. I called my doctor. Her advice was get to the closest hospital. A co-worked rushed me in. I was seen immediately by the the staff. They shoved all kinds of IV’s & gave me some shots. Then the questions “Have you eaten anything different today”, “What medicines have you taken?”etc…The culprit was the tampon! It was deodorized!I was hospitalized overnight & quite embarassed every time someone entered my room with my chart in hand! D
LikeLike
diddy, that’s a scary story about your trip to the hospital. So you must have been allergic to the deodorant they put in them? Glad it wasn’t TSS.
Remember Toxic Shock Syndrome? I think it was in the early 70’s that they discovered the bacterial link and women stopped wearing tampons for a while. Seemed like a strange thing. Then left as quickly as it came. I wonder if any cases are still reported.
Yes, Mom in her bonnet hairdryer! I do remember those big blue electric brushes. And all kinds of curling irons over the years in many different forms. You could do a whole thesis on the history of beauty gadgets.8)
Here are a few more interesting tidbits about the tampon:
Word Origin from Online Etymology Dictionary (LINK) – tampon is from the French for plug or stopper:
tampon
1848, from Fr. tampon, from M.Fr. tampon “plug” (see tampion). Tampax, proprietary name registered in U.S. 1932, is based on tampon.
Absorbency Rates:
Junior absorbency: 6 grams and under
Regular absorbency: 6 to 9 grams
Super absorbency: 9 to 12 grams
Super plus absorbency: 12 to 15 grams
Ultra absorbency: 15 to 18 grams
Mega absorbency: 19+ grams
Museum of Menstruation (LINK)
We have come a long way. There was a time not that long ago when no one even talked about this subject. Times have changed. And many mothers have gone back to honoring menstruation as a rite of passage for their daughters as many of the matriarchs of Ancient times did.
LikeLike
QM, yes, I was allergic to the deodorant in the tampon. It took about a half an hour for me to mention it to the physician in charge. It was pretty serious, actually. I had 2 lawyers call me after I was home again. I wasn’t interested, but I still wonder how they found out about it? Yes, I remember TSS, but that was not my case, thank goodness!
Another more funny story comes to mind. At a family camping week-end many years ago, I took my eldest niece to the bathroom with me. She was 4 years old then. I had a tampon in my hand & she asked “Aunt D, why are you taking a straw to the bathroom?” Out of the mouths of babes! D
LikeLike
LOL. 8) Hard to explain that one to your niece. That’s strange about the lawyers calling you. Yeah, how did they know? Sounds like others had experienced an allergic reaction, too. Do you think the doctors called them? Strange indeed.
LikeLike
Great history and link, QM.
I know another thing I wanted to say about today’s inventions. What about blogging? That’s a new invention. 8)
LikeLike
ybonesy, yes, blogging — quite a new invention. I never thought I’d find myself partaking. But here I am with you and red Ravine! Seems like many of today’s inventions are connected to electronics and digital media. Maybe there were always a lot of cutting edge electronics going on. Even the vinyl LP was new at one time. I still love records. 8)
LikeLike
QM, the info was probably leaked to lawyers long before the HIPA rules were in effect. It was strange though receiving those calls. D
LikeLike
Great post, QM. I loved the tampon in my day, especially in the summer! I never missed a day at the pool or the beach.
It does seem like all the new inventions are digital. But once I saw an interview with a woman who invented a special pair of kitchen scissors to make chopped salad. I liked that.
It was very entertaining to read about your mothers hair dryer. We had a powder blue one, like the color of your car. Even saying powder blue dates us. We had a powder blue Ford Galaxy 500. It must have been a popular color back in the day.
LikeLike
diddy, I hadn’t thought of that — yes, way before HIPA and they could share your private information. Isn’t it strange to think people could just banter that stuff around in the past?
BTW, Liz just said that happened to one of her roommates in about 1984 — the woman got really sick and they figured out it was the deodorant in her tampon. I had not heard of it before and now I know of two incidents.
Christine, you are so right — I’ve completely dated myself with the powder blue! No one says that anymore, do they? What do people say now? Light blue?
Yeah, it was such a very popular color back then. A powder blue Ford Galaxy 500. Perfect. I think my grandmother had a Ford Galaxy, too. I’m remembering a wine color though. Or maybe it was off-white (today it might be called eggshell white). I could be off. I find that colors sometimes morph into other colors in my child’s eye memory. 8)
Oh, I wanted to add, love the salad scissors invention. I wonder if you can get rich off of salads?
LikeLike
I wonder why powder blue went out of style for cars, although I guess I can understand. It’s no so much a loud color but it does stand out.
It’s not a bad color for indoor things, though, like a mixer or bowls or cups. I really haven’t seen a comeback in the color insofar as kitchen stuff goes, not the way I’ve seen seafoam green make a comeback, and mustards and oranges. Also avocado green seems a bit en vogue. Maybe I’ve just not looked hard enough, since it’s not been a color that goes with my house.
I did paint my writing room a very light blue. Not powder blue, but maybe a few shades lighter. I was aiming for a bit more aquamarine, but I like what I got.
LikeLike
[…] photos in the studio last week: a scrapbook of army shots, Easter in Tennessee, the summer of 196https://redravine.wordpress.com/2008/06/23/practice-band-aids%c2%ae-other-1920s-invention-20min/The Austin Chronicle: Best of Austin: 2005: Critics: ShoppingWe like to think the "Best of […]
LikeLike