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Wallpaper

Wallpaper from the early nineteenth century is rarely found in complete sections today. These two samples are small but offer historians an idea of how early Americans decorated their homes. While we often think of early objects having dull, drab colors, the section of paper on the right shows how brightly colored some wallpapers were. Sunlight, smoke, soot, and chemical processes make early printed and painted items look darker today. Looking at areas of paper that have been protected by other layers of wallpaper or woodwork is a way of seeing how vibrant and festive early papers often were.

Wallpaper Fragments, 1805-1820, paper, L: 26.5 x W: 19.75. Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, Gift of Ada Yates Harris, N0051.1956(01-08).

Tooth Key

While dental cavities were sometimes filled with gold or silver during the early nineteenth century, decaying teeth were often removed. This item is called a tooth key and was used in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries to remove molars, the large back teeth. The small, curved, metal arms at the base were set around the affected tooth, and the doctor or dentist grasped the wooden handle at the top. They then twisted and pulled until the tooth loosened and came out.