The popularity of “the Pill” created a new market for pharmaceutical companies. For the first time, healthy women would be taking medication for an extended period of time. Pill manufacturers developed unique packaging in order to distinguish their product from those of their competitors and build brand loyalty. Packaging design often incorporated a “memory aid” to assist women in tracking their daily pill regimen, as well as styled cases to allow pills to be discreetly carried in bags and purses. The National Museum of American History’s Division of Medicine and Science’s collection of oral contraceptives illustrates some of the changes that the packaging and marketing of the Pill underwent from its inception in 1960 to the present.
This is an Ortho-Novum Dialpak dispenser that was manufactured by the Ortho Pharmaceutical Company of Raritan, New Jersey, during the 1960s. The 20-pill Dialpak has a central “calendar disc” listing the days of the week, with each day aligning with the pill slot that containing that day’s pill. This Dialpak originally dispensed a 10-milligram pill, but is now empty. The back of the Dialpak contains instructions on how to use the device.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.