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Lot Essay
Produced during the Federal period in Portsmouth, New Hampshire or North Shore, Massachusetts, this secretary desk with its inlaid barber pole stringing and birch panels, narrow Gothic arched mullions, skirt and foot design is distinctive of high-style furniture from northern New England.
Moving away from the exuberant Rococo carving and curvaceous forms created during the Chippendale period, this secretary desk exemplifies the Federal period with its more geometric form and straighter lines with little carving and use of contrasting mahogany with lighter inlay as a decorative element. On a significantly smaller scale than contemporary desk-and-bookcases, secretaries such as that offered here are considered forms primarily used by women. Their production during the Federal era reflects the changing roles of women in society and with increased wealth and literacy, the significance of letter writing to women.
Moving away from the exuberant Rococo carving and curvaceous forms created during the Chippendale period, this secretary desk exemplifies the Federal period with its more geometric form and straighter lines with little carving and use of contrasting mahogany with lighter inlay as a decorative element. On a significantly smaller scale than contemporary desk-and-bookcases, secretaries such as that offered here are considered forms primarily used by women. Their production during the Federal era reflects the changing roles of women in society and with increased wealth and literacy, the significance of letter writing to women.