Existing comment:
Traveling lap desk (probably English), ca. 1757
Mahogany, maple, baize, and brass
Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Owned by Benjamin Franklin; he gave it to a friend and then it later passed back into the family of Richard Bache II
With its compartments for ink and supplies and locking drawers that could only be opened from the inside, this portable writing desk was ideal for transporting and storing correspondence during Franklin's extensive travels in Europe. |