Desk Accessories
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver Plate, Nickel
1890s German Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Metal
19th Century Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Marble
1860s Antique Desk Accessories
Fruitwood
19th Century Indian Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Paper
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century English Edwardian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century French Classical Greek Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Swiss Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
1890s French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Bronze
Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
1840s Hong Kong Antique Desk Accessories
Hardwood
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
1810s English Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
19th Century English High Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Pottery
19th Century North American Antique Desk Accessories
Multi-gemstone
Late 19th Century British Antique Desk Accessories
Oak
Late 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Gold, Bronze
19th Century Spanish Antique Desk Accessories
Plaster
Early 19th Century Austrian Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Granite, Steel
19th Century French Rococo Revival Antique Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Spelter
1880s French Antique Desk Accessories
Tortoise Shell
Mid-19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Silver
Late 19th Century Arts and Crafts Antique Desk Accessories
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Griotte Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
1850s English Antique Desk Accessories
Marble
19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
1990s Empire Desk Accessories
Silver
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Desk Accessories
Bamboo
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Leather, Paper
1860s French Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Japanese Other Antique Desk Accessories
Brass, Copper
1880s British Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver Plate, Brass
19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Satinwood
1860s Swedish Folk Art Antique Desk Accessories
Mirror, Pine
1850s French Louis XIV Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
1870s Swedish Folk Art Antique Desk Accessories
Ceramic
Early 19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Walnut
19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze, Enamel
1880s Swiss Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories
Softwood
1880s French High Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Ebony
19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
1880s Swiss Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Softwood
Late 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Silver
19th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
1880s English Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver, Steel
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Rubber
1880s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Desk Accessories
Alpaca, Glass
Antique, New and Vintage Desk Accessories
Whether you’ve carved out a space for a nifty home office or you prefer the morning commute, why not dress up your desk with antique and vintage desk accessories? To best tiptoe the line between desk efficiency and desk enjoyment, we suggest adding a touch of the past to your modern-day space.
Desks are a funny thing. Their basic premise has remained the same for quite literally centuries: a flat surface, oftentimes a drawer, and potentially a shelf or two. However, the contents that lay upon the desk? Well, the evolution has been drastic to say the least.
Thank the Victorians for the initial popularity of the paperweight. The Industrial Revolution offered the novel concept of leisure-time to Europeans, giving them more time to take part in the then crucial activity of letter writing. Decorative glass paperweight designs were all the rage, and during the mid-19th-century some of the most popular makers included the French companies of Baccarat, St. Louis and Clichy.
As paper was exceedingly expensive in the early to mid-19th-century, every effort was made to utilize a full sheet of it. Paper knives, which gave way to the modern letter opener, were helpful for cutting paper down to an appropriate size.
Books — those bound volumes of paper, you may recall — used to be common occurrences on desks of yore and where there were books there needed to be bookends. As a luxury item, bookend designs have run the gamut from incorporating ultra-luxurious materials (think marble and Murano glass) to being whimsical desk accompaniments (animal figurines were highly popular choices).
Though the inkwell’s extinction was ushered in by the advent of the ballpoint pen (itself quasi-obsolete at this point), there is still significant charm to be had from placing one of these bauble-like objets in a central spot on one’s desk. You may be surprised to discover the mood-boosting powers an antique — and purposefully empty — inkwell can provide.
The clamor for desk clocks arose as the Industrial Revolution transitioned labor from outdoors to indoors, and allowed for the mass-production of clock parts in factories. Naturally, elaborate designs soon followed and clocks could be found made by artisans and luxury houses like Cartier.
Find antique and vintage desk accessories today on 1stDibs.