Created by Eli Cott on Thu, 02/13/2025 - 12:23
Description:
Writing desks in the Victorian era could be likened to laptops in the 21st Century and were commonly used for writing letters of correspondence and business. Following the Great Exhibition, manufacturing of writing desks increased in the Victorian era as literacy rates similarly climbed, and the postal service became more and more efficient and reliable.
Victorian Gentleman's Mahogany Desk ca. 1850 and Victorian Woman's Papier Mache Desk ca. 1850, The Victorian Web, from the Collection of Catherine J. Golden. These are two gendered writing desks. The desk on the left would have been used by a man and the one on the left, a woman. Some writing desks, like the one on the left, were specially made with secret compartments to store valuables safely. The woman's desk was typically smaller than the gentleman's writing slope, but both were portable, so people could travel with them as steam engines made it more accessible to travel.