Desk, Portable

Description

Fixed slant-top portable desk with a larger, slope-sided drawer entering back of desk and a shallow drawer entering at end. Desk sides and end are butternut, top and bottom are tulip poplar. Larger drawer font, back and ends are butternut; pencil tray bottom and drawer bottom are tulip poplar, and pencil tray support is white pine. Bottom drawer, front, back, sides and divider are all butternut; bottom is tulip poplar. The bottom drawer is flush and has a small, turned walnut knob. Exterior surfaces washed, painted, or stained red. Pencil tray in large drawer painted or washed yellow. All case and drawer corners dovetailed. A brass stud bolt screws through a fitting in the desk end center bottom such that the stud rides in a slot in the end of the large drawer, thereby preventing the drawer from falling out. This stud bolt has an ivory or bone escutcheon.

Notes

This desk is of the same design as desk 1960.11756.1, but two of the design flaws of that desk are corrected in this desk. Rather than supporting the large drawer with the drawer below as in 1960.11756.1, this desk has a solid divider which successfully corrects the problem. Less successful was the fix for the brass gussett which broke on 1960.11756.1. On this desk, a piece of ivory or bone is set into the back, spanning the juncture of the end of the back and the back of the end; it has also failed.