'Tru Life' breast form with instruction sheet

Made:
1967 in Michigan
maker:
S H Camp and Company
'Tru Life' breast form, slightly flattened

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'Tru Life' breast form, slightly flattened
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

'Tru Life' breast form, slightly flattened, owned by Mrs Shilling (the first person to receive a breast implant in Britain, in 1967), with instruction sheet, by S.H. Camp and Company, Jackson, Michigan, 1967, 100% nylon

This breast prosthesis was owned by Mrs Gertrude Shilling, a society figure known for wearing flamboyant hats to the Ascot races. She used it before she became one of the first women in the United Kingdom to receive a breast implant, in 1967. The ‘Tru Life’ breast form was to be worn inside the bra. Made from nylon and plastic, the instructions advise washing with warm water and avoiding exposure to high temperatures. Piercing with a pin could cause the breast form to become slightly deflated as this example shows. S H Camp and Co, who made this object, were one of the first major bra manufacturers and also introduced the idea of cup sizes into bra measurements.

Details

Category:
Surgery
Object Number:
2001-399
Materials:
nylon and foam
Measurements:
box: 50 x 205 x 138 mm; breast form: 55 x 100 x 200
breast form: 55 mm x 100 mm x 200 mm,
type:
breast form
credit:
Shilling, H D