Artifact of the Week: Bone Toothbrush

Archaeologists recovered this bone toothbrush from Downtown San Diego. The site housed a working class population during the late Victorian period (c.1880-1915). The bristles would have been boar bristles.

Artifacts made of bone are not commonly found in the San Diego County archaeological record. Climate, soil conditions, and land use in this region is not conducive to good preservation of organic materials like bones.

Date: Post-Contact Period (300 ya – present)
Material Class: Faunal

Want to learn more? Visit the exhibit Block 112: The Untold Story of San Diego’s Working Class in the 1800s currently on view at the Center.