Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Desk, Portable |
Catalog Number |
2016.135.1 |
Date |
ca. 1777 |
Material(s) |
Wood/Glass/Metal/Varnish |
Dimensions |
H-6.25 W-13.5 D-9.75 inches |
Description |
This is a portable desk consisting of a rectangular wooden box with a dark brown varnish. There are lighter colored ovals in the center of each face of the box and floral patterned borders around each edge. The varnish is heavily cracked and peeling. The front of the box has a metal keyhole and there is a metal handle on the proper right side of the box. The proper left handle has broken off and is inside of the box. Inside the box are several layers of trays. The first layer is a removable mirror in a wooden frame. The back of the frame has three wooden keys that retract to allow the backing to be removed. The front of the frame has a geometric pattern around the border in gold paint. The second layer is a flat wooden surface that appears to have been hinged to the interior of the desk. It is now completely separate. The third layer is a tray with ten rectangular compartments of varying sizes. Within these compartments are the missing handle from the exterior, what appears to be an ivory toothpick/ear scoop, and a handwritten note about the original owner of the desk. This tray removes completely from the desk. The interior is divided into three small square compartments and one larger compartment. |
Notes |
This is a field desk used during the Revolutionary War by Captain Edmund Martin of the Sussex County, New Jersey Militia. Edmund Martin was from New Jersey and fought in the American Revolution. He settled in Maysville, Kentucky in 1792. He ran a ferry between Maysville and Aberdeen and gave land in the center of town for a Baptist church and cemetery. His son, Edmund Martin II, moved to Nicholas County about 1810 and ran a tavern there. All of the family is buried in the Millersburg Cemetery. |
Collection |
Jane Martin Smith Collection |
Event |
American Revolutionary War |
People |
Martin, Edmund |
Subjects |
Communication Desks Desks Revolutionaries Soldiers Soldiers' life Travel Writing |
Search Terms |
Aberdeen (Ky.) American Revolution Maysville (Ky.) Militia New Jersey Revolutionary War Soldiers |
Physical Holder |
Kentucky Historical Society - KHS |