What are old writing desks called?
The Secretaire is the meaning for an enclosed writing desk within a folding front. The writing section was hidden behind a folding drawer front or cupboard door on brass hinges. The antique Secretaire was first introduced in the late 18th Century Georgian period by furniture designers like Hepplewhite and Chippendale.
What is a writing table called?
In form, a writing table is a pedestal desk without the pedestals, having legs instead to hold it up. This is why such tables are sometimes called leg desks. The writing table is often called a “bureau plat” when it is done in a French style such as Louis XVI, Art Nouveau, etc.
What is a Davenport writing desk?
A Davenport desk is a writing table that features a hinged top and a number of drawers or compartments, allowing a significant amount of storage relative to the amount of space the piece occupies. It usually has elaborately carved legs and is often made from rich, dark woods like walnut or cherry.
What is a Wooton desk worth?
Wooton was known for making desks with plenty of storage compartments, both seen and unseen. They soon were nicknamed The King of Desks. They sold for $90-750, which is equivalent to $1500-12,000 today. They were expensive, but they sold like hotcakes.
How do you date an antique writing desk?
Antique furniture hardware can help you assign a date to a piece, and a secretary nearly always has hinges. Take a good look at these to learn about its age. Look for a manufacturer mark or label. Often, antique secretaries will have a label affixed to the back or underside of the desk.
How do you date an antique desk?
How to Determine the Age of Antique Furniture
- Look Past the Style of a Piece.
- Examine Bottoms, Insides, and Backs.
- Check for Perfectly Matching Elements.
- Try to Figure Out What Tools Were Used.
- Look at the Wood and Upholstery Fabric.
- Investigate the Screws and Other Hardware.
How can you tell a real Davenport desk?
There is generally a row of drawers down one side, with false drawers on the opposing side, and the top is surmounted by a brass or fretwork gallery. Made to be freestanding, davenports are finished and polished on all four sides.
Why is a raven like a writing desk?
Because it can produce a few notes. Particularly if its name is Lewis Carroll. The answer lies in the quill: both may be penned, but they can never truly be captive.
What is a Victorian Davenport?
It was built and commissioned for Captain Davenport and was the first example of this type of small Mahogany writing desk, called by the captain’s name. During the late Georgian and Victorian eras, the davenport was mainly used by the Lady and would have of a small chest of drawers with a desk on top.
Who made the Wooton desk?
inventor William S. Wooton
After winning a five-dollar prize for his design for a school house desk at the Indiana State Fair in 1868, inventor William S. Wooton founded the Wooton Desk Company in 1870. Wooton’s Patent Cabinet Office Secretary was patented in 1874.
How can I tell how old my wooden desk is?
Tips to Identify an Antique Secretary Desk
- Look at the wood. Many secretary desks from the 1700s and 1800s feature exotic woods like rosewood, tulipwood, and kingwood.
- Examine the construction.
- Look for a manufacturer mark or label.
How can you tell how old a desk is?
Make sure to search for labels, stamps, or manufacturing tags that can tell when and where a piece was made. Furniture companies and makers often listed their names, locations, and year of production This information can be found on the inside of drawers, the backs of bureaus, and on the lower edges of pieces.