Name: Condoms in the Kitchen
Location: Wellcome Collection

Join us for a quick cup of coffee and a pastry, afternoon tea, or a light meal with a glass of wine.

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Café

Gallery tour

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Daily Guided Tours and Discussions

Join Janet Tyson as she outlines both the origins of and explanatory texts in ‘A Curious Herbal’ (1737 and 1739) by Elizabeth Blackwell (1707–58). Wellcome Collection owns copies of the two books, both by apothecaries, on which Blackwell’s ‘A Curious Herbal’ is based: the ‘Pharmacopoeia Londinensis’ (1721) by John Quincy and the ‘Botanicum Officinale’ (1722) by Joseph Miller. 

Elizabeth Blackwell and her book have more recently become topics of popular interest. Tyson will present a brief critique of what has been written about Blackwell, as well as a comparative analysis of Wellcome Collection’s copy of ‘A Curious Herbal’. After the talk, you will have the opportunity to ask questions.  

Janet Tyson is a PhD candidate in Early Modern History at Birkbeck, University of London. Her research addresses the social and bibliographic history of ‘A Curious Herbal’, the first herbal to be produced by a woman.   

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Janet Tyson

Speaker

<p>Login and join the event online with others.</p>

Online event

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Booking a ticket guarantees you entry to the online event. You will be given joining instructions in your confirmation email. If you have any access requests or requirements, for example a transcript of the event, email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.

Guaranteed (online)

Join Janet Tyson as she outlines both the origins of and explanatory texts in ‘A Curious Herbal’ (1737 and 1739) by Elizabeth Blackwell.

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Researcher talk in the Viewing Room

Hear about some of the latest projects that explore materials from our collections, ask questions and take inspiration for your own research.

Exploring Research

Considering the Source of Elizabeth Blackwell’s ‘A Curious Herbal’

Join us for this talk and live experiment, where author and historian Jessica Borge will recreate some of the 1960s consumer tests of condoms. Watch her fill an original 1967 Durex Gossamer condom first with air, then with water, from her kitchen.  

In this talk Jessica will also take you through the history of the London Rubber Company, the original maker of Durex condoms. A pre-recorded interview with John Harvey, a former sales manager at the London Rubber Company, will be shown, telling you more about the Durex Gossamer condom. At the end of the event there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion. 

Dr Jessica Borge is an interdisciplinary researcher in the field of 20th-century British history, specialising in the intersection of business, society and media. Her book ‘Protective Practices: A History of the London Rubber Company and the Condom Business’ is the first full-length study on the London Rubber Company.

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Jessica Borge

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This event will have live speech-to-text transcription, which may be useful for people who are D/deaf or hard of hearing. For any assistance, please email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 020 7611 2222.

Speech-to-text (online)

Watch historian and author Jessica Borge conduct a live consumer-testing experiment on a 1960s condom, and discuss the history of the London Rubber Company.

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Insights sessions give you an introductory taste of what our Library can offer you as a browser, explorer or researcher, while showcasing rare items.

Library Insights

Condoms in the Kitchen

At every turn the visitor will find something to fascinate.

This permanent gallery explores trust, identity and health in a changing world.

Being Human explores what it means to be human in the 21st century. It reflects our hopes and fears about new forms of medical knowledge, and our changing relationships with ourselves, each other and the world.

Featuring 50 artworks and objects, the gallery is divided into four sections: Genetics, Minds & Bodies, Infection, and Environmental Breakdown. Discover a refugee astronaut carrying their belongings to an unknown destination, sniff a perfumed bronze sculpture that smells of breast milk, listen to an epidemic jukebox, and watch a fast-food outlet slowly flood.

Exhibition highlights

We have recorded audio descriptions of every exhibit, plus a highlights tour of 11 stops with optional directions in between. These audio tracks are available on the VocalEyes website.

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Being Human gallery

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Permanent

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We’ll be in the ‘Being Human’ gallery, which you can find by taking the stairs or the lift to level 1.

Being Human

Our new permanent gallery explores trust, identity and health in a changing world.

Drop in to find inspiration and indulge your curiosity. It’s a gallery, a social space, and a place to unwind.

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