19806 Wooton Cabinet Secretary Desk

  
The Wooton desk originated in Indianapolis in 1874 with a patent by William S. Wooton for an improvement in secretaries that would become known as the Wooton Patent Cabinet Office Secretary. This exact desk we are offering for sale is illustrated on the cover of WOOTON PATENT DESKS, A Place for Everything & Everything in its Place, published by The Indiana State Museum and The Oakland Museum, edited by J. Camille Showalter and Janice Driesbach. The book was produced for a very special museum exhibition originated by the Oakland Museum and the Indiana State Museum, April 1983 June 1985. Our desk was also the same one used on the special broadside used to promote this special exhibition.

This Extra Grade example and others manufactured by the Wooton Desk Manufacturing Company are nicely illustrated and fully described in the publication. See Plates 6 and 7, pp 68-69. Wooton Desks were expensive pieces of office equipment for the time.

The list of clients for the Extra Grade model include John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould and Ulysses S.

The Superior and Ordinary grade desks were phased out of production between 1880 and 1884, while the Standard and Extra patterns were retained and were augmented by the newer Queen Anne and Eastlake models. The Extra Grade model is in three parts made from black walnut harvested in Indiana. The trim and accent veneers are of Spanish cedar and birds eye and burl maple. Each hinged door is fitted with shelves and compartments.

The left door is fitted with an arrangement of four shelves above a row of seven small maple drawers over a central door flanked by a bank of four medium drawers and three vertical shelves, all above two rows of four, square dovetailed drawers with horizontal shelves beneath. The right door is fitted with four rows of 10 square cardboard letter drawers with brass ring pulls. The central case is surmounted by an ornate carved crest in the Renaissance Revival taste.

The interior has a full width writing surface that drops down when the locking mechanism is released to form a horizontal desk surface. The interior is fitted with a row of open shelves, three maple drawers at the center with incised carved decoration, above an opening for inkwell and pen trays, flanked by an arrangement of six drawer. Beneath the writing surface is a bank of four drawers flanked by horizontal and vertical shelves. When closed, the front of the cabinet displays four recessed and molded burl walnut panels with cast gilt grass letter slots. The top panels are curved giving the illusion of a barrel or cylinder roll.

The end of each outer section, when open, are beautifully finished in birds eye maple panels with ebonized incised carved elements. All of the cast brass hinges and locking mechanisms are original and in fine condition. SIZE: 77 h x 45 w x 32 d.

19806 Wooton Cabinet Secretary Desk. PLEASE CHECK OUR COMPLETE INVENTORY FOR TREASURES FROM THE PAST. Check out our complete inventory with many fine antiques and collectibles at maineantiquefurniture dot com. Page for more information on our company.

Over 40 Years Retail Experience. Auctiva offers Free Image Hosting and Editing. Listings get noticed with Auctiva's Mobile Responsive Listing Templates.

The item "19806 Wooton Cabinet Secretary Desk" is in sale since Thursday, October 21, 2021. This item is in the category "Antiques\Furniture\Desks & Secretaries". The seller is "jjdecoy" and is located in Fairfield, Maine. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada.

• Color: Brown
• Item Height: 77
• Item Length: 32
• Item Width: 45 in
• Type: Secretary
• Additional Parts Required: No
• Antique: Yes
• Assembly Required: No
• Brand: Wooten
• Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
• Department: Adults
• Features: Carvings
• Mounting: Free Standing
• Number of Doors: More Than 5
• Number of Drawers: More Than 5
• Original/Licensed Reproduction: Original
• Personalized: No
• Required Tools: No Tools Required
• Room: Home Office/Study
• Shape: Rectangle
• Style: Victorian
• Theme: Antique
• Time Period Manufactured: 1850-1899