Today’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt from the US National Archives (at bottom of post), is titled, "Photograph of Women Working at a Bell System Telephone Switchboard." There are many directions I could have gone with this photo - women working, phones, switchboards, and more. Today I decided to go with the general theme of "work.”
The photo below is of my "Traveling Dentist" Great-Grandpa Watson Emory (Frederick) Webster at work in a dental office. Those cute little kids with him are my Grandpa Debs (far left), Edna Lillie (far right), and Carlota (in dental chair).
This photo was taken in Brinkley, Arkansas. It is dated January 10 – April 10, 1922.
 |
| Frederick, Carlota, Edna Lillie, and Debs Webster at Dental Office in Brinkley, Arkansas circa 1922 Click to Enlarge |
I find the dates interesting. Why was he there only from January 10 - April 10, 1922? And why was he in Brinkley, Arkansas?
My regular readers may have seen from my previous posts that I sometimes like to "break down" photos into smaller sections by cropping out certain areas of interest. This photo has quite a few areas of interest to look at.
First of all, we’ll spotlight the people in the photo:
Here’s Great-Grandpa Frederick with dental instruments in hand ready to go to work! Notice the open window behind him? Nice view, huh?
 |
| Frederick Webster Click to Enlarge |
This close-up shows my Grandpa Debs and his big sister Carlota. These two were the only children of Frederick and Esther Webster’s five children who lived to adulthood.
 |
| Carlota and Debs Webster Click to Enlarge |
This is a very special photo of sweet little Edna Lillie, because according to my records, she passed away the next year in 1923. Wasn’t she a pretty little girl?
 |
| Edna Lillie Webster Click to Enlarge |
Next up we’ll spotlight some interesting items in the dental office.
According to the wall clock, it’s about 10:45. And from the sunlight shining through the windows, I’d say it’s about 10:45 in the morning.
 |
| Wall Clock Click to Enlarge |
Let’s take a look at the table by the window. See all of the dental instruments?
 |
| Table at Dental Office Click to Enlarge |
Could this be a suction bulb on the table? If so, I wonder if this is an antique version of today’s dental suction tube they stick in your mouth so you don’t drown or embarrass yourself by slobbering all over. When my kids were little, they went to a Pediatric Dentist. At that office, they called the suction tube "Mr. Thirsty." I wonder if this antique suction bulb was a 1922 version of "Mr. Thirsty."
 |
| Antique Dental Tool Click to Enlarge |
And here we have the dental chair. Quite an antique by today’s standards!
 |
| Vintage Dental Chair Click to Enlarge |
After taking a closer look at this chair, I noticed a couple of fascinating features. First, I noticed the hand crank on the side. Isn’t that interesting? I wonder what it was used for. Could it have been used to recline the chair? Any other ideas?
I also see that there are one or two levers, each with a flat top edge on them, extending from the back of the chair. I wonder if they were used by the dentist to lift and lower the chair.
 |
| Close-up View of Hand-Crank and Lever Click to Enlarge |
And no, I’m not trying to give you nightmares with these last two photos.
I believe this is the dreaded dental drill. (Insert scary music)
 |
| Antique Dental Drill Click to Enlarge |
See the small motor, and the drill hanging down to the left? I wonder if this dental drill from 1922 made the same unnerving high-pitched whirring noise as the drills of today.
 |
| Antique Dental Drill Click to Enlarge |
Well, this concludes our tour. I hope you’ve enjoyed your virtual visit to a 1922 dentist’s office! And hopefully the last two photos weren’t too distressing. If they were, and you feel the urge to run screaming from the room, I don’t blame you.
But, before you bolt, take a deep relaxing breath, and check out what the other Sepia Saturday participants have written about this week by clicking HERE.
Thanks for reading!
Jana
Copyright © Jana Last 2012
