Dr. Eisenbart and His Patient – Antique Dental Caricature, circa 1860

Humorous hand-coloured lithograph depicting the celebrated German figure Dr. Eisenbart confronting an understandably apprehensive dental patient. The extravagantly dressed practitioner advances with an enormous pair of extraction forceps, while bottles, instruments and a label bearing his name hang from his coat. Opposite him, the patient stands rigid with anxiety, cheeks swollen and mouth open in anticipation of the ordeal.

The caricature refers to a real-life personnage, Johann Andreas Eisenbarth (1663–1727), a successful travelling German surgeon and medical practitioner. Although respected during his lifetime, Eisenbarth was later transformed into a comic figure through the popular song Ich bin der Doktor Eisenbart, which portrayed him as a boastful and alarmingly heavy-handed doctor. Nineteenth-century prints frequently drew upon this humorous legend rather than presenting an accurate account of the historical man.

This amusing sheet was published by Joseph Scholz of Mainz, circa 1860. Scholz produced colourful popular prints and illustrated sheets intended for a broad nineteenth-century audience. The small inscription “J. S. 26” appears at lower right.

This engaging image combines the history of dentistry with bold period caricature and would make an especially amusing decorative piece for a dentist, dental surgery or collector of medical imagery.

Medium: Hand-coloured lithograph on paper
Date: Circa 1860
Publisher: Joseph Scholz, Mainz, attributed
Reference number: No. 26
Dimensions: 50 x 40 cm
Condition: Light overall toning of sheet.  Rough edges of sheet with some small tears. Central images clear and sharp.