When, what, where, and why are the four questions that any good detective should ask when trying to solve a mystery. So let us take a deep dive into the mystery of the origins of the writing desk.
The “what” is rather obvious… a writing desk, but “when” is much more elusive. So, when was the writing desk invented? The Chinese had tables specifically for painting, writing, and other tasks as early as the 12th century. However, the emergence of a desk solely for writing did not emerge until the 1400s, when medieval monks propped writing surfaces on chests to ease the strain of hours of copying texts by hand. This led to mobile writing boxes that could also open to store books inside. Usually, this is where the family Bible would be stored, giving these boxes the name “Bible Boxes”.
With their sloped design, one could claim that medieval monks were the first to invent ergonomic furniture. Brevity aside, the medieval writing desks were composed of a slanted writing surface and a large lectern to hold valuable books. These early “desks” were just regular tables with a sloped box for writing and a place to hold a book, but they were an important stepping stone into the world of modern desks.
Slowly these writing boxes got their own stands to sit on, this type of desk is called a “clerk’s desk”. Eventually, this desk evolved into something much more like modern ones as time went on. During the Renaissance, the first piece of furniture solely made for writing appeared. It was called the bureau, originated out of Europe, and consisted of a sloped lid, similar to the portable boxes, containing drawers underneath. Eventually, throughout the years, the desk changed into the more common version known today.
However, one question remains. Why did they become so popular? Well, it all goes back to the invention of the printing press. Now that information in the form of books was more readily available and cheaper than ever before people could afford to learn to read and write. The rise of the humanist school of thought and the availability of higher education applied more pressure than ever before to study literature and to be well-educated. So, as the need to read and write grew, so did the need for something to do it on, hence the writing desk.
So, who are the celebrities of the furniture world? Well, there is of course the desk of the leader of the free world, the Resolute Desk. The President’s desk has its own unique history starting when Queen Victoria gifted it to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. It is called the Resolute Desk because it is made of oak timbers from the British HMS Resolute. It originally sat on the second floor of The White House prior to the West Wing’s construction and was moved to the Broadcast Room during Truman’s Presidency. It found its final home in the Oval Office when John F. Kennedy was elected in 1961. Presidents are allowed to design their office how they please, and the desk has not always been the President’s choice. However, it has remained as the First Desk since the Clinton administration.
There are many types of desks including:
Roll Tops
Secretaries
Executive Desks
Bureaus
Partners
and many more. Below are some pictures of some really cool writing desks that you can take a look at to see how far we have come since the old “Bible Boxes”.
Liam Evans