‘George Washington’ full denture, c. 1795
Made of gold, bone and human teeth
Catalogue no. 266
Upper and lower dentures made of swaged gold alloy fitted with retention springs. Posterior teeth carved from bone and attached by posts. Natural human anteriors attached by posts brazed to base. Repairs evident. Some caries present. Teeth show considerable wear. Three lower anteriors missing and upper left 2, split.
These dentures as a set have been known as the George Washington Denture and are very similar to those that were made for him by his dentist Doctor John Greenwood in 1793. The original dentures are held by the Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.
These dentures were given to Professor Henry Atkinson by a patient in the late 1960s, who stated that they had been in the family for many years and were worn by his grandfather.
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