Today’s post was written by Ruth Chan, Archivist at the National Archives at San Francisco.
The mid-19th century became known as the “era of false teeth for the masses.” Why? This was thanks to Charles Goodyear’s invention on vulcanized rubber – which was improved by his brother, Nelson – and Dr. John A. Cummings’ patent on dental wear. Previously, false teeth were crafted from expensive materials like gold or silver, but the introduction of rubber fittings made them more affordable for the general public. But this didn’t mean they were cheap to produce, as countless lawsuits from the Goodyear Dental Rubber Company made the process costly for dentists. The company aggressively enforced their patent, requiring dentists to pay an annual license fee plus royalties.
An 1868 equity case brought by Henry B. Goodyear, an administrator for the Nelson Goodyear estate, against Charles E. Blake, a dentist in San Francisco, represents just one of numerous legal claims against dentists nationwide. These lawsuits alleged patent infringement for manufacturing hard rubber dental plates for artificial teeth without paying the required licensing fees to the Goodyear Dental Rubber Company. This specific case even includes a list of other dentists sued by the company. The court ruled in favor of the Goodyear estate and prohibited Blake from manufacturing and selling vulcanized rubber for dental purposes.
In 1879, the crackdown on unauthorized dental plates culminated in the murder of Josiah Bacon by an aggrieved dentist, Samuel P. Chalfant. As the treasurer of the Goodyear Vulcanite Company, Bacon had spearheaded a 13-year effort to identify and prosecute unlicensed dentists. The Goodyear patents eventually expired in 1881, which enabled dentists worldwide to use vulcanite without restrictions.
This dental plate model highlights the unique discoveries sometimes found within federal records. While most archival materials – especially those housed in regional facilities – are largely textual, court records occasionally include physical objects, such as exhibits used in legal cases. Together, these artifacts and documents offer fascinating stories that are often long forgotten.
Want to find other interesting records? Explore more from the Highlights From Our Holdings at the National Archives.