Fall Front Desk, 1700-1730
THF128554 / Fall Front Desk, 1700-1730
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Artifact Overview
In the early 1700s, prosperous, yet frugal New England merchants showed off their wealth and good taste through functional objects, like furniture. This desk served as place to store important documents and valuables. It has numerous lockable drawers and several secret compartments. The fashionable and expensive walnut burl veneers make this object suitable for display in a parlor, where guests would be impressed.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Slant-front desk
Date Made
1700-1730
Place of Creation
Location
at Henry Ford Museum in Fully Furnished
Object ID
26.5.3
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Brass (Alloy)
Norway spruce (wood)
Mahogany
Maple (Wood)
Color
Brown
Gold (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 38 in
Width: 37.5 in
Depth: 19.5 in
Inscriptions
On bottom of secret drawer: S. Abbott/ 1851
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Related Content
SetDesks for Every Need
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The importance that nineteenth-century Americans put on the technology of education is indicated by the hundreds of patents on school furniture between 1860 and 1900. Desks designed to be in rows facing the teacher reveal the teacher-centered classrooms of the era. These cast iron and wood school desks and benches were manufactured in Buffalo, New York, in about 1900.