Letter from General Washington to His Dentist
On the 29th of May, 1781, General Washington needed help from his dentist. Dr. Baker worked in Philadelphia and had previously extracted some of Washington's teeth. George ended up with false teeth. They were carved from hippopotamus ivory and cow's tooth and were held inside his mouth by means of metal springs. Because his replacement teeth were a bit large for his mouth, Washington had an unusual expression which we can see in his portraits. He wrote this letter to ask Dr. Baker for cleaning materials. It was captured by the British before Dr. Baker could read it. Click on the image for a better view. CreditsImage, courtesy University of Michigan, Clements Library. |
Table of Contents
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Biographies
- Anthony, Susan B.
- Attila the Hun
- Beethoven's Hair
- Benedict Arnold
- Brockovich, Erin
- Chronicles of Narnia
History
- American Colonies
- American Revolution - Highlights
- Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
- Assassination of John F. Kennedy
- Auschwitz: Place of Horrors
- Book Burning and Censorship
Disasters
- America Attacked: 9/11
- Black Death
- Challenger Disaster
- Columbia Space Shuttle Explosion
- Fatal Voyage: The Titanic
- Galveston and the Great Storm of 1900