Dental Chair
date: label: date made
content: ca 1910-1915
label: patent date
content: 1909-01-19
name: label: maker
content: Harvard Co.
notes: label: Description
content: This chair is part of an accession of artifacts which came from the office of Dr. C. Edmund Kells (1856-1928), who pioneered dental radiography. The means by which the chair moves up and down is hydraulic, and it has a cane seat and back rest. It dates to about 1910. The chair is fitted with an alternate child's seat which folds flat under the cane seat cushion. Dr. Kells early experiments with dental x-ray and its use in dental diagnostics led to more than 200 publications on the subject.
label: Description
content: Frank E. Case (1849-1933) was a patent attorney for the Canton Surgical and Dental Manufacturing Company, in Canton, Ohio. Having recognized the need for improved dental and surgical chairs, he began manufacturing these items in his home in 1887. He established the Harvard Company in 1890, and opened a large factory in 1896. The firm won awards at several national and international exhibitions, from 1893 to 1915. This Harvard dental chair was used in the New Orleans dental office of Charles Edmund Kells, Jr. (1856-1928).
label: Description
content: Ref:
label: Description
content: Frank E. Case, “Head-Rest” and “Stirrup Attachment for Chairs,” U.S. Patent 490,541 (Jan. 24, 1893).
label: Description
content: Frank E. Case, “Dental Chair,” U.S. Patent 766,591 (Aug. 2, 1904).
label: Description
content: Frank E. Case, “Dental Chair,” U.S. Patent 799,972 (Sept. 19, 1905).
label: Description
content: Frank E. Case, “Dental Chair,” U.S. Patent 891,762 (June 23, 1908).
label: Description
content: Frank E. Case, “Dental Chair,” U.S. Patent 891,762 (Jan. 19, 1909).
topic: label: collection
content: Dr. C. Edmund Kells Collection
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Work
label: See more items in
content: Artifact Walls exhibit
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mrs. J. O. Pierson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MG.M-10600
label: catalog number
content: M-10600
label: accession number
content: 254077
label: patent number
content: US910357A
label: patent number
content: US490541A
label: patent number
content: US891762A
label: patent number
content: US799972A
label: patent number
content: US766591A
objectType: label: Object Name
content: chair, dental
label: Object Name
content: dental chair
label: Other Terms
content: chair, dental; Dentistry
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ceramic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 56 in x 24 in x 39 in; 142.24 cm x 60.96 cm x 99.06 cm