What is a secretary bookcase?
A secretary desk or escritoire is made of a base of wide drawers topped by a desk with a hinged desktop surface, which is in turn topped by a bookcase usually closed with a pair of doors, often made of glass.
What era are Secretary desks from?
The Original. Secretary desks date to the early 18th century, when they were used by secretaries and clerks. The typical secretary desk was compact with compartments to store writing supplies. The desks included lower drawers, an upper bookcase for storage and a drop-down writing surface.
What is a Larkin desk?
often is called a Larkin desk by collectors, but it is also called a side-by-side secretary or a bookcase desk. It was made circa 1910, but unfortunately the prices of most oak furniture have suffered a downturn in recent years and the insurance replacement value of this piece is currently $1,800 to $2,200.
How much is a Wooton desk worth?
“The Wooton desk, for anybody collecting late 19th century furniture, this is one of the ultimate pieces you would have.” Melchert asked for $14,500 and ultimately got pretty close to that with a final accepted offer of $13,500.
What type of furniture is a secretary?
secretary, also called secretaire, or escritoire, a writing desk fitted with drawers, one of which can be pulled out and the front lowered to provide a flat writing surface.
Why is furniture called a secretary?
The secretary (from secretarius, Latin for writer) evolved as a larger and more formal piece of furniture to store books and papers. Tall or low, a secretary consists of a slanted lid that flips forward to create a writing surface, concealing (when closed) cubbies and pigeonholes (even secret compartments) and drawers.
Why are they called secretary desks?
“Originally, these pieces were used by the actual secretary of an estate, as a place to pay the bills and handle the affairs of a large household,” says Greg Jaron of Jarons Furniture in New Jersey. As the industrial revolution arrived, and work moved outside the home, older desks like these became family heirlooms.
What is the difference between a secretary and a desk?
As nouns the difference between desk and secretary is that desk is a table, frame, or case, usually with sloping top, but often with flat top, for the use of writers and readers it often has a drawer or repository underneath while secretary is (obsolete) someone entrusted with a secret; a confidant.
What was a Wooton desk used for?
Wooton desks were the ultimate tool for the extensive writing, filing, billing, and storage that a gentleman of business in the days of yore would have been engaged in. They were the high tech filing systems of their time. First created in 1870, the design was patented by William S. Wooton and produced until 1884.
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.
What does a piece of furniture called a secretary look like?
“It’s a very traditional style of furniture that includes shelves above, often with glass doors, a bottom with drawers, and a middle containing a dropdown slanted workspace that lays flat when opened,” he says.