Desk Used in the United States House of Representatives, 1857-1873
THF138128 / Desk Used in the United States House of Representatives, 1857-1873
01
Artifact Overview
This desk and its companion chair (68.127.1) were designed by architect Thomas U. Walter for the United States House of Representatives Chamber in 1857, as part of an expansion of the Capitol. The pieces look impressive--but members of the House complained that they were too cumbersome. Within two years, many of the chairs were sold; by 1873 all of the pieces were removed.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Davenport (Desk)
Date Made
1857
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
Designed by Thomas U. Walter; made by Bembe & Kimbel of New York City, New York or Doe, Hazelton & Company of Boston, Massachusetts.
Location
at Henry Ford Museum in Fully Furnished
Object ID
78.84.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Oak
Technique
Woodcarving
Dimensions
Height: 33.5 in
Width: 29.125 in
Length: 20.875 in
Inscriptions
Carved on orb on front of desk: AMERICA
Keywords |
|---|
02
Related Content
SetDesks for Every Need
- 30 Artifacts
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.