Travel Desk
Wood: Mahogany
Secondary Wood: N/A
Joinery: Dovetail and hinging
Features: This travel desk consists of several compartments within a locked chest. The key is present with the box, locking and unlocking the brass keyhole. When opened, there is a latch holding a panel to the top half of the box. Upon removal, the panel falls forward with the cloth acting as a hinge to prevent it falling out completely. On the reverse of the panel is the engraving "R.H. Ludlow." Below the name is the state, New York, and the year it was received. The bottom half of the box contains a similar panel, hiding an open space for materials. Beside the cavity of the bottom half are five compartments, three of equal size making up a third of the length, followed by a longer compartment with a lid, and ending with a final lidded compartment that is just moderately larger than one of the initial three. In the first compartment is the remains of a stick of sealing wax, a fountain pen, and a spare pen nib. In the next two compartments are ink wells, one clean and one containing evaporated ink. The long, middle compartment contains nothing, while the final compartment held the key to the box within it. By pulling a brass pin from the left side of bottom half of the box, the left handle of the box can be pulled outward to reveal a shelf for additional storage.
Date: 1822
Provenance: New Hampshire Estate
Size: H. 6.75x W. 20.75x D. 10.75"
Weight: 17.4lbs
Condition: The cloth on the interior of the box shows some signs of wear and staining. The wood itself has some nicks and bumps, but no major losses. The brass of the hinges and edges shows some patination.
History: Robert Henry Ludlow was born in 1802-82, a native of New York. He spent most of his life in Westchester with his wife, Cornelia Le Roy. He was an elected official of the St. Nicholas Society of New York, an organization of Dutch ancestry.