Thimbles and Feminine Hygiene

On my way out of town yesterday I saw a garage sale that looked promising. Garage sales just have a "feel" about them. . .you can usually tell from the car whether it's your kind of junk or not. This one was sending off good vibes so I stopped.

It was a garage sale from heaven. Actually, it was more of an estate sale. I immediately found a jar of old buttons that I snapped up for $3. (They usually go from $10-$20 per quart!) Right next to it was a jar full of thimbles. It was marked $20. I don't know a THING about thimbles, but Ali and I have been looking for something small to collect. Half the fun of going to a flea market or an antique store is looking for something in particular. We don't have space or much money so we were thinking about marbles. I asked the lady running the garage sale if she had marbles but she didn't. On a whim, I asked her if she would take $15 for the jar of thimbles. She said yes and a new collection on Hurd Avenue was born.

As it turns out, we got 122 thimbles.


It's funny how there are complete worlds existing inside other worlds that you don't know a thing about. You don't even notice. Of course there's a whole world of thimble collectors. There are associations, clubs, newsletters and books. That world is obvious, even if it revolves completely outside your atmosphere. What's less obvious are the stories that each thimble might be able to tell.

Some of the thimbles are political. There's the "Vote for George Wallace" (1968) and the "George White for Governor" (1930). Some of them are advertisements. "Use Voight's Flour" came from Grand Rapids, Michigan in the 1930's. There is one from the Salvation Army with the phone number A-9452. This was probably the number for an old magneto crank telephone that connected to party lines in a rural area.


It's kind of fun googling the advertisements to figure out the history of the product being sold to women in the 1930's and 40's. By far, my favorite thimble story thus far is this one for Sterizol.



The thimble itself says, "Sterizol, for personal hygiene."

Upon research I came up with this advertisement, aimed at women:


In case you can't read it, here is the transcription:

FEMININE HYGIENE
There is more to feminine hygiene than most women know. Upon it depends to a large extent beauty and daintiness as well as health. It should demand the attention of every woman every day for her to feel as bright, fresh and clean as she desires.

You will find Sterizol antiseptic one of the most convenient and economical preparations made for feminine hygiene. It is extremely effective, yet absolutely harmless and non-poisonious. Prescribed by many physicians, it is splendid for eliminating odors of all kinds. The $1.00 jar of Sterizol powder makes 40 pints of antiseptic (you add the water). For sale at your druggist, FREE BOOKLET will be sent you upon request. Describes in detail the use of Sterizol antiseptic in feminine hygiene and many other uses.

THE STERIZOL CO., 152 Water St., Ossining, NY

The advertisement is from 1926. The Museum of Women's Health describes the ad and the product this way:

"Sterizol douche liquid, U.S.A., 1926
Sterizol contains in its name the condition it wanted to achieve, a sterilized vagina, just like a sterilized toilet seat, but which would help kill sperm. This ad appears on the page after the Marvel douche ad, and is from February 1926. Note that a woman can use Sterizol for other things, perhaps for cleaning the bathroom floor."

Who new so much information could come from a simple little thimble?