A Museum in the Netherlands Showed a 200-Year-Old Condom with an Erotic Engraving (3 photos)
Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum has added an unusual exhibit to its collection: a 200-year-old condom, allegedly made from a sheep's appendix, is on display at the Safe Sex? exhibition. According to curators, the item was created around 1830 and was probably used as a "luxury souvenir" in one of France's expensive brothels. 
The main feature of the artifact was not only its age or material, but also the image: an erotic scene with a half-naked nun and three clerics is engraved on the condom. The caption reads: Voila, mon choix — “Here is my choice.” The exhibition’s curator, Joyce Zelen, noted that the composition refers to the myth of the Judgement of Paris.
The condom was acquired by the museum at an auction in Haarlem last November for 1,000 euros. In the exhibition, it is placed under glass as a central object, symbolizing the mixture of themes of sexual health and cultural taboos. 
Before the invention of vulcanized rubber in 1839, condoms were made from fabric, animal skin, or even turtle shells — and only partially served the function of protecting against disease or unwanted pregnancy. The items were often sold secretly: in brothels, hair salons, or, in rare cases, in luxury stores made to order.
Museum experts tested the exhibit under ultraviolet light: it appears to have never been used. 
