Dr. Ralph and Mrs. Olga Crawford Canadian Dental Collection
Category
Dental
Classification
Dental
Accession Number
010020010 a-f
Description
Metal dental chair (a), enamelled in beige, composed of round black and silver metal base which tapers up toward seat; six levers raise level of chair and recline it via an internal hydraulic system; stuffed black leather-covered seat (b) and seat back; adjustable wooden arm-rests enamelled in brow…
Metal dental chair (a), enamelled in beige, composed of round black and silver metal base which tapers up toward seat; six levers raise level of chair and recline it via an internal hydraulic system; stuffed black leather-covered seat (b) and seat back; adjustable wooden arm-rests enamelled in brown on top; footrest with black rubber inserts with silver metal border and supported by beige metal base; self-adjusting rounded metal head rest with two black leather-covered pads on either side is height-adjustable via two levers on back of chair; one lever (c), one white plastic knob (d), and two loose metal parts (e, f); manufacturer's label affixed to chair with list of patents and years
Number Of Parts
6
Part Names
a - chair - Size: Length 1.20 m x Width 1.13 m x Depth 55.0 cm
b - cushion - Size: Length 46.0 cm x Width 44.0 cm x Depth 10.0 cm
c - lever - Size: Length 12.0 cm x Width 3.4 cm x Depth 2.0 cm
d - knob - Size: Length 6.4 cm x Diam. 4.0 cm
e - part - Size: Length 16.4 cm x Width 3.6 cm x Depth 0.4 cm
f - part - Size: Length 2.3 cm x Diam. 2.0 cm
Provenance
Transfer from the Dental Canada Fund; previously housed in the Dentistry Canada Museum (Ottawa)
Embossed on rubber lever: "Ritter"; printed underneath seat cushion: "RITTER CHAIR // RITTER DENTAL MFG. CO. INC. ROCHESTER, N.Y. // SERIAL NO. 68195 MADE IN U.S.A."
Permanent Location
Storage Room W2
W2-538-2-1
Condition Remarks
Enamel chipped throughout chair; leather worn at top of seat back; paint chipped on base
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
Internet
JPG
Reference Comments
“S.S. White Dental Catalog, Catalog-E”, S.S. White Dental Mfg. Co., 1917, p. 8 (similar to S.S. White Diamond Chair); "A Catalogue of Ritter Dental Equipment", Ritter Dental Mfg. Co., 1919, p. 8; "Schraeder Electronics" website.
CD #9
Research Facts
Dr Ralph and Mrs Olga Crawford donated their extensive Canadian dental collection to the DCF to create the museum in 1997; further donations were received while Dr Crawford was Curator Emeritus at the Dental Canada Museum until its closure in 2008; this item was donated by Dr. Christopher Clark from Vancouver, British Columbia; Frank Ritter had settled in Rochester, NY as a cabinet-maker before manufacturing the Stuck dental chair in 1888, the first chair with a round metal base; later models featured the first use of hydraulics to raise and lower the chair, a revolution for its time; the design was not significantly changed until the 1960s