Dentist's window display unit, illustrating ivory work and extracted teeth, made for J. Petit, Paris, c.1880

Made to be hung in a dentist’s window, this large frame shows a range of ivory dentures and extracted teeth. The work displayed is that of a dentist, J Petit, who was based in Paris during the late 1800s.

The sign enabled people who could not read to understand the nature of Petit’s trade – although ivory dentures were relatively expensive to make meaning that only wealthy (and presumably literate) people would have been able to afford them.