old condom erotica rijksmuseum show 2652526

Two print curators from the Rijksmuseum, Huigen Leeflang and Joyce Zelen, discovered a rare 19th-century condom with an erotic print at an auction house in Haarlem, Netherlands, in November 2023. They acquired the 1830s condom for €1,000 ($1,140) with no other bidders, and it is now the centerpiece of a small exhibition titled "Safe Sex?" at the Rijksmuseum, which explores 19th-century sex work and sexual health through Dutch and French prints. The condom, likely made from sheep's appendix, features an etching of a half-naked nun with clergymen and is believed to be a souvenir from an upmarket French brothel.