Macabre Hat Belonged to a Traveling "Dentist" in London in the Early 19th Century

This cap belonged to a street 'dentist' or tooth puller, made of brown velvet and felt, decorated with approximately 88 decayed human teeth from his patients, implying the 'magician' aspect of the trade.

Teeth pulling was painful and risky, done without anaesthetic. People needed evidence of the dentist's successful work, even if only through the teeth worn on the cap.

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