Japanese Toothpick Holder

c. Early 20th Century

My friends and I often find artifacts that were tossed into privies when they were being filled in and closed when the house got indoor plumbing. This hand painted toothpick holder from Japan was one of those very artifacts.

Toothpicks have been around in some form since the dawn of man. Researchers have found fossilized groove marks in the teeth of Neanderthals leading them to believe they were crudely picking food and other items from their teeth. The Roman Emperor, Nero, had a silver toothpick. And Queen Elizabeth was gifted six golden toothpicks. But the wooden toothpick we know today wouldn’t become mainstream till the late 1800s after Charles Forster got the idea to mass produce toothpicks out of wood and marketed them as a status symbol for fine dining establishments.