Moore 'Office Queen' Cabinet Desk

View Similar Items

Scandinavian Modern Teak Office Desk

Art Deco Office Desk Nut

Queen Anne Style Chinoiserie Writing Table Desk

Primitive Office Desk with Built in Stool, 1950s, USA

Robert Propst For Herman Miller Action Office Stand-Up Desk

1920s United States Roll Top Office Desk with Drawers and Wheels

Antique Rare Form English Mahogany Queen Anne Style Partners Desk

George Nelson Action Office Architect's Roll-Top Desk for Herman Miller

Antique Bureau Desk in Walnut Cartonnier Writing Office Table Provencal Rustic

Very Fine Edwardian Mahogany Ladies Desk or Vanity Cabinet

Michel Cadestin and Georges Laurent Desk and Filing Cabinet

Boulle Desk .

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 21

Moore 'Office Queen' Cabinet Desk

About the Item

For your consideration we have a monumental executive desk patented by Joseph Moore and known as the "Office Queen". It was manufactured by the Moore Combination Desk Co. in the late 19th Century. It is beautifully executed in walnut, with inset panels finished in a subtly contrasting burled walnut. The desk features a half-domed door with a decorative letter slot, upper brass gallery rail, large and exquisitely detailed hinges and cabinet door hardware. Once opened, the desk reveals a complete and fully organized personal office within, brimming with dozens of compartments, drawers, pigeon holes and a large sliding leather-clad desktop surface from which to conduct important business. Now an executive had quick and easy access to all of his papers, often without even having to move his chair. When closed, the desk can be locked, allowing one's "office" to be safe and secure, and an exterior letter slot allowed important papers to be delivered. Moore’s cabinet desks were status symbols of the period representing wealth, importance and prosperity. Moore’s efficient yet elegant desk design enabled the important businessman to tastefully exhibit his newly established status and these large desks soon became synonymous with wealth and power. Significant owners of cabinet desks included President Ulysses S. Grant, John D. Rockefeller, and Joseph Pulitzer among others. Similar yet smaller desks were in great demand and were incredibly popular during the latter half of the 19th century in America. During this time, the American entrepreneur was involved in a number of ventures requiring enormous amounts of paperwork. Keeping one’s effects in order while juggling more than one business or maintaining an ever-expanding enterprise, required a large, practical desk, making the Moore patented desk a necessary luxury. An interesting bit of history is the fact that Joseph Moore was originally the general manager of Wooton Manufacturing Co. in 1876, but by 1878 he had patented his own "Cabinet Desk" and began working in direct competition with Wooton. The present cabinet displays some of the changes to the Wooton design that Moore originally patented including the single door with its own set of casters and the pullout writing surface, which allowed the user to shut the door and leave objects on the surface. Measurements: 56.5" high x 28" deep x 44" wide ( 86" wide when fully open).

Dimensions:
Height: 56.5 in (143.51 cm)Width: 44 in (111.76 cm)Depth: 28 in (71.12 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass,Leather,Walnut
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1880
Condition:
Replacements made: The casters on the bottom have been replaced with newer casters and it glides easily along the floor. You cannot see the casters unless the desk is turned upside down. Wear consistent with age and use. Leather on desk has wear and rips. The pull out section of the desk appears to be missing some additional hardware on the right hand side that is only visible from underneath. It still opens and closes and is functional. No key.
Seller Location:
Hamilton, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1355226281052