The vibrator sees its beginnings planted somewhere in the middle of the 1600s, thanks to the fundamental ‘application’ of a series of quick, rapid finger movements to assist in the ‘healing’ of women who were prone to bouts of hysteria owing to circumstances that came about by “widowhood, celibacy and religious lives”. 
Fast-forward to almost two hundred years later to the beginning of the 1800s and it was swings, rocking chairs or any vehicles of a similar nature which would bounce the pelvic region in order to steady the nervous emotion of women who were said to be ‘highly strung’.

It was in 1870 when a vibrator with a wind-up mechanism was created for physical therapists and spa massages - but ironically, this contraption failed to remain ‘wound up’ for long enough in order for any treatments to be completed. Two years later in 1872, a physician from the USA invented a vibrating instrument powered by steam, but this did not last until the next century. A physician from Britain in the 1880s patented the first vibrator using electro-mechanics which was used by doctors as medical apparatus.

Not long after, ‘DIY’ versions created at home were cropping up in advertisements in well-known publications at the time such as Woman’s Home Companion, Needlecraft and Modern Priscilla to name a few.

However, 40 years then passed before the electric vibrator became ‘mainstream’ and was more widely recognised, thanks to it being marketed and sold as a physical therapy device or massage tool in the latter part of the 50s. It was not until the 1960s that it began to re-emerge as a sex-aid toy which was openly marketed in this way. Since this period, in the last 40 years or so, the vibrator has witnessed an evolution like no other with countless variations, often mind-boggling at times; from the earlier, hand-held battery operated phallic creations which were of less than mediocre quality right through to the remote control devices with multiple attachments which generally had more of an emphasis on sophistication.