Slant top desk
Encyclopedia
The slant top desk
can be considered in some ways as the ancestor or the little brother, of the secretary desk
for it is for all practical purposes a secretary desk without the massive bookcase on top of it. It can also be considered as the descendant, in form, of the desk on a frame
, which was a form of portable desk
in earlier eras.
In some places the slant top desk is known as a "bureau" desk, and in others it goes under the name of slope-front desk. In the United States
, the slant top desk is sometimes called a Governor Winthrop desk, in memory of John Winthrop
, the 17th century governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
. As Winthrop died in 1647, he had no actual connection to this style of desk, which originated in the 18th century and is especially associated with Chippendale. The name "Winthrop" was attached to this kind of desk by the Winthrop Furniture Co. of Boston, Massachusetts, who offered their "Gov. Winthrop" desk in 1924, during the colonial revival period.
Like the Wooton desk
, the fall front desk
and others with a hinged desktop (and unlike closable desks with an unmovable desktop like the rolltop desk
or the cylinder desk
) all documents and various items must be removed from the work surface of the slant-top desk before closing up.
The slant-top desk has been handcrafted in a variety of styles, the most famous being probably the block front seashell
desk of the 18th century which was popular among the well-to-do of Colonial America
.
The slant-top desk has also been mass produced
in a great quantity of sub-forms and material
s. For instance, some slant top desks have very crude chains or levers to hold the desktop in an open working position, while others have elegant sliders which are manually or automatically extended to give support.
See also the list of desk forms and types.
Desk
A desk is a furniture form and a class of table often used in a work or office setting for reading or writing on or using a computer. Desks often have one or more drawers to store office supplies and papers. Unlike a regular table, usually only one side of a desk is suitable to sit on . Not all...
can be considered in some ways as the ancestor or the little brother, of the secretary desk
Secretary desk
A secretary desk 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...
for it is for all practical purposes a secretary desk without the massive bookcase on top of it. It can also be considered as the descendant, in form, of the desk on a frame
Desk on a frame
The desk on a frame is usually an antique form made up of two pieces of furniture. The first piece is a fairly large and closable portable desk with a slanted hinged top giving access to the writing surface and utility nooks and small drawers. The second piece is a stand made for it in the same...
, which was a form of portable desk
Portable desk
The portable desk has not one but many forms. In a sense, the portable desk is a long-lost ancestor of the portable computer, and the modern laptop could be considered an atavistic grandchild of the 19th-century Lap desk....
in earlier eras.
In some places the slant top desk is known as a "bureau" desk, and in others it goes under the name of slope-front desk. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the slant top desk is sometimes called a Governor Winthrop desk, in memory of John Winthrop
John Winthrop
John Winthrop was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer, and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of...
, the 17th century governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
. As Winthrop died in 1647, he had no actual connection to this style of desk, which originated in the 18th century and is especially associated with Chippendale. The name "Winthrop" was attached to this kind of desk by the Winthrop Furniture Co. of Boston, Massachusetts, who offered their "Gov. Winthrop" desk in 1924, during the colonial revival period.
Like the Wooton desk
Wooton desk
The Wooton desk is a variation of the Fall front desk. It is the embodiment of the phenomenon of conspicuous consumption which swept over moneyed society in the United States at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, and was described by Thorstein Veblen in his book The...
, the fall front desk
Fall front desk
The fall front desk can be considered the cousin of the Secretary desk. Both have a main working surface or desktop which does double duty as a cover to seal up papers and other items located in small shelves or small drawers placed one on top of the other in front of the user...
and others with a hinged desktop (and unlike closable desks with an unmovable desktop like the rolltop desk
Rolltop desk
A rolltop desk is a 19th century reworking of the pedestal desk with, in addition, a series of stacked compartments, shelves, drawers and nooks in front of the user, much like the bureau à gradin or the Carlton House desk...
or the cylinder desk
Cylinder desk
The cylinder desk is a desk that resembles a Bureau Mazarin or a writing table equipped with small stacked shelves in front of the user's main work surface, and a revolving cylinder part that comes down to hide and lock up the working papers when the desk is not in use...
) all documents and various items must be removed from the work surface of the slant-top desk before closing up.
The slant-top desk has been handcrafted in a variety of styles, the most famous being probably the block front seashell
Seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...
desk of the 18th century which was popular among the well-to-do of Colonial America
Colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
.
The slant-top desk has also been mass produced
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
in a great quantity of sub-forms and material
Material
Material is anything made of matter, constituted of one or more substances. Wood, cement, hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term "material" is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties that are used as inputs to...
s. For instance, some slant top desks have very crude chains or levers to hold the desktop in an open working position, while others have elegant sliders which are manually or automatically extended to give support.
See also the list of desk forms and types.