Styles
Types
Related
AD
X
Vintage and Antique Secretary Desks
We are a part of eBay Affiliate Network, and if you make a purchase through the links on our site we earn affiliate commission.
A "secretary desk" is the catch-all term for a rectangular piece of furniture, usually taller than it is wide, that features built-in drawers, cabinets, and a hinged panel the can be lowered from the top to create a horizontal writing surface....
A "secretary desk" is the catch-all term for a rectangular piece of furniture, usually taller than it is wide, that features built-in drawers, cabinets, and a hinged panel the can be lowered from the top to create a horizontal writing surface. Taking its name from the French word "secrétaire," which, in the context of furniture, means "writing desk" in English, the first secretary desk, which was called a "secrétaire a abattant," or "drop-leaf desk," is thought to have been produced by Jean-François Oeben in the middle of the 18th century. Known for his marquetry and mechanical desks, Oeben was the royal cabinetmaker to the court of Louis XV of France.
Also called a fall-front desk, a secrétaire a abattant differs from a slant-top desk in that its front is perfectly vertical when not in use, giving the piece of furniture the appearance of a rectangular cube when the writing surface is not in use. In addition to slant-top desks, other desk forms that are often confused with secretaries include roll-top desks, cylinder desks, clerk desks, lift-front desks, and drop-front desks, which are very similar to slant-front desks. None of these are really secretaries proper, but as the word has become shorthand for a desk whose writing surface is in some way hidden, many buyers and sellers alike tend not to be too troubled by the imprecision.
One of the chief charms of all of these desks, true secretaries or not, is the warren of smaller drawers and open compartments that are revealed when the secretary's vertical surface is folded open and flat. Often these drawers are fitted with locks, as is the writing surface itself, making them very private spaces for a writer's use only.
From the late 18th century through much of the 19th, many of the best antique English and French secretaries were built from exotic materials such as tulipwood, satinwood, kingwood, and rosewood. Some pieces were lacquered black to resemble a piece of Chinese furniture while others featured elaborate inlays and marquetry, a nod, no doubt, to the Oebenian roots of the form. In London, the most famous English maker of secretaries and other pieces of furniture was Thomas Chippendale and his son of the same name, who followed in his father's footsteps. Both made substantial, painstakingly detailed pieces for grand halls and residences throughout Great Britain.
That said, some secretaries from this period were far simpler. Campaign or knockdown furniture was made to be assembled and taken apart quickly so that military officers could move from battle to battle accompanied by almost all the comforts of home. These pieces were built of plainer materials, from camphorwood to pine. And because these pieces had to offer officers as much storage as possible, the actual desk area on campaign secretaries were often smaller than on secretaries built for residences.
In the United States, some of the most expensive secretaries of the late 19th century were made by an Indiana manufacturer named William Wooton. Though Wooton's secretaries resembled roll-top or cylinder desks, they were far more complicated than that. Wooton desks opened at the front like an enormous book, each side lined with secret drawers, shelves, and slots on their interiors. When opened, a fall-front could also be lowered to create a horizontal writing surface, just like on a traditional secrétaire a abattant.
As styles changed from Victorian to Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, secretaries changed, too, though the essential elements of a fall-front surface opening to create a writing surface remained the same. By the early 20th century, walnut, cherry, maple, and mahogany veneers were common in secretaries, as were geometric designs. Secretaries even survived the reinvention of the Mid-Century Modern period, as shelving systems designed to be bolted to a wall often featured a module whose solid face that could be opened from the top to create a rudimentary secretary.
Continue readingA "secretary desk" is the catch-all term for a rectangular piece of furniture, usually taller than it is wide, that features built-in drawers, cabinets, and a hinged panel the can be lowered from the top to create a horizontal writing surface. Taking its name from the French word "secrétaire," which, in the context of furniture, means "writing desk" in English, the first secretary desk, which was called a "secrétaire a abattant," or "drop-leaf desk," is thought to have been produced by Jean-François Oeben in the middle of the 18th century. Known for his marquetry and mechanical desks, Oeben was the royal cabinetmaker to the court of Louis XV of France.
Also called a fall-front desk, a secrétaire a abattant differs from a slant-top desk in that its front is perfectly vertical when not in use, giving the piece of furniture the appearance of a rectangular cube when the writing surface is not in use. In addition to slant-top desks, other desk forms that are often confused with secretaries include roll-top desks, cylinder desks, clerk desks, lift-front desks, and drop-front desks, which are very similar to slant-front desks. None of these are really secretaries proper, but as the word has become shorthand for a desk whose writing surface is in some way hidden, many buyers and sellers alike tend not to be too troubled by the imprecision.
One of the chief charms of all of these desks, true secretaries or not, is the warren of smaller drawers and open compartments that are revealed when the secretary's vertical surface is folded open and flat. Often these drawers are fitted with locks, as is the writing surface itself, making them very private spaces for a writer's use only.
From the late 18th century through much of the 19th, many of the best antique English and French secretaries were built from exotic materials such as tulipwood, satinwood, kingwood, and rosewood. Some pieces were lacquered black to resemble a piece of Chinese furniture while others featured...
A "secretary desk" is the catch-all term for a rectangular piece of furniture, usually taller than it is wide, that features built-in drawers, cabinets, and a hinged panel the can be lowered from the top to create a horizontal writing surface. Taking its name from the French word "secrétaire," which, in the context of furniture, means "writing desk" in English, the first secretary desk, which was called a "secrétaire a abattant," or "drop-leaf desk," is thought to have been produced by Jean-François Oeben in the middle of the 18th century. Known for his marquetry and mechanical desks, Oeben was the royal cabinetmaker to the court of Louis XV of France.
Also called a fall-front desk, a secrétaire a abattant differs from a slant-top desk in that its front is perfectly vertical when not in use, giving the piece of furniture the appearance of a rectangular cube when the writing surface is not in use. In addition to slant-top desks, other desk forms that are often confused with secretaries include roll-top desks, cylinder desks, clerk desks, lift-front desks, and drop-front desks, which are very similar to slant-front desks. None of these are really secretaries proper, but as the word has become shorthand for a desk whose writing surface is in some way hidden, many buyers and sellers alike tend not to be too troubled by the imprecision.
One of the chief charms of all of these desks, true secretaries or not, is the warren of smaller drawers and open compartments that are revealed when the secretary's vertical surface is folded open and flat. Often these drawers are fitted with locks, as is the writing surface itself, making them very private spaces for a writer's use only.
From the late 18th century through much of the 19th, many of the best antique English and French secretaries were built from exotic materials such as tulipwood, satinwood, kingwood, and rosewood. Some pieces were lacquered black to resemble a piece of Chinese furniture while others featured elaborate inlays and marquetry, a nod, no doubt, to the Oebenian roots of the form. In London, the most famous English maker of secretaries and other pieces of furniture was Thomas Chippendale and his son of the same name, who followed in his father's footsteps. Both made substantial, painstakingly detailed pieces for grand halls and residences throughout Great Britain.
That said, some secretaries from this period were far simpler. Campaign or knockdown furniture was made to be assembled and taken apart quickly so that military officers could move from battle to battle accompanied by almost all the comforts of home. These pieces were built of plainer materials, from camphorwood to pine. And because these pieces had to offer officers as much storage as possible, the actual desk area on campaign secretaries were often smaller than on secretaries built for residences.
In the United States, some of the most expensive secretaries of the late 19th century were made by an Indiana manufacturer named William Wooton. Though Wooton's secretaries resembled roll-top or cylinder desks, they were far more complicated than that. Wooton desks opened at the front like an enormous book, each side lined with secret drawers, shelves, and slots on their interiors. When opened, a fall-front could also be lowered to create a horizontal writing surface, just like on a traditional secrétaire a abattant.
As styles changed from Victorian to Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, secretaries changed, too, though the essential elements of a fall-front surface opening to create a writing surface remained the same. By the early 20th century, walnut, cherry, maple, and mahogany veneers were common in secretaries, as were geometric designs. Secretaries even survived the reinvention of the Mid-Century Modern period, as shelving systems designed to be bolted to a wall often featured a module whose solid face that could be opened from the top to create a rudimentary secretary.
Continue readingBest of the Web
![](https://d3h6k4kfl8m9p0.cloudfront.net/web-resources/chipstone.jpg)
Chipstone
This beautiful site showcases the collection of Stanley and Polly Stone of Fox Point, Wisconsin,...
![](https://d3h6k4kfl8m9p0.cloudfront.net/web-resources/kentucky-online-arts-resource.jpg)
Kentucky Online Arts Resource
This huge online database from the Speed Art Museum is a rich trove of beautiful photos and...
Most Watched
ADX
Best of the Web
![](https://d3h6k4kfl8m9p0.cloudfront.net/web-resources/chipstone.jpg)
Chipstone
This beautiful site showcases the collection of Stanley and Polly Stone of Fox Point, Wisconsin,...
![](https://d3h6k4kfl8m9p0.cloudfront.net/web-resources/kentucky-online-arts-resource.jpg)
Kentucky Online Arts Resource
This huge online database from the Speed Art Museum is a rich trove of beautiful photos and...
ADX
AD
X