Desk and bookcase

Unknown

1765–90 · Mahogany, white pine · The American Wing

According to late-nineteenth-century tradition, this desk was in George Washington’s headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the Siege of Boston (April 1775–March 1776). Consequently, it was exhibited at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago as “Washington’s desk.” It is the only known piece of American furniture to combine the bombé and blockfront forms. A later collector replaced the original mirror-glass doors in the upper section with wood panels.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1765–90

Medium

Mahogany, white pine

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1918