German for "shame mask" and also known as a scold's bridle, a schandmaske was basically a way of inflicting shame upon the person who was forced to wear it. Pretty much like those medieval wooden stocks that angry townsfolk would stick people into for a rotten-tomato pelting (or the red letter S for "suck," which we should consider tattooing on the forehead of anyone who found Joe Dirt 2 even mildly entertaining), these masks were strapped on to people in the 1600s and 1700s as punishment for minor crimes. Specifically, women who were found guilty of "nagging" or gossiping.
Via: cvltnation.com
But wouldn't that tube just amplify the rumor that Pastor Schwinghammer
has been making eyes at Fishwife Fenstermacher?
The practice of punishing "rude, clamorous" women by making them wear stylized metal and leather animal masks (or less intricate but more punishing versions) was once a fairly frequent phenomenon across Europe (it also saw some limited use in America, among the Puritans and on slaves). Some of the contraptions were built to include such features as an iron rod to prevent the wearer from speaking or a "sharp metal gag for restraining the tongue." And for an extra bit of humiliation, sometimes they'd install a cute little bell on top.
Via: cvltnation.com
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