5. The philandering gentleman could go to specialist condom vendors – even if these early condoms were expensive, tricky and pretty gross
Victorians weren’t exactly okay with casual relations. But smart entrepreneurs realized that many men would have multiple partners, whether they be mistresses or simply working girls. That’s why there was a strong trade in condoms. Indeed, from the start of the 19th century, there were several specialist condom shops in London. These early versions were made out of sheep guts and had to be soaked for a couple of hours before use in order to soften them up. They would also have to be tied at the bottom with a ribbon. In fact, these early condoms were so complex and fiddly that many came with their own user manuals!
Rather than guarding against unwanted pregnancies, these condoms were designed primarily to protect the male use from venereal diseases, above all from syphilis. However, since they were costly to make and required some preparation, they were usually only used by wealthier gentlemen, in particular those with regular mistresses or who hired high-end sex workers. Quick, cheap encounters with street women were almost always carried out without protection. In 1885, however, Goodyear launched its first rubber condom, the first step towards bringing safe fornication to the masses.
