Portable Campaign Desk by Gaimes
Portable Campaign Desk by Gaimes
A brass bound mahogany Portable Desk or Writing Slope by William Gaimes.
The box has three brass straps to each corner with a serpentine shaped brass corner to the top. The top also has brass edging and the sides have skeletal campaign handles. The desk is a standard design, with a drawer to the side held by a pin, a well under each writing board and desk tidy fittings to the top of the slope. The quality is very good with strong hinges, brass corners to the interior edges and steel screws used. The lock is a Thompson Patent, also stamped GR, which would have added cost to the box.
The desk tidy area has a central pen tray with knob handle. To either side is the space for an inkwell and then next to those a compartment with lid on one side and an internal slope to the other. Under the desk tidy are three secret drawers hidden by a sprung facia board with the release button to the left side rather than the more common right. Under both the top and bottom boards of the writing area are replaced crossed ribbons for holding letters etc. The well compartment under the bottom board has a lectern bar that can be fixed to the top of the box which can be set to three different angles by a hinged brass arm, for reading.
The top writing board of the box has a small brass escutcheon plate which is engraved with the date 'January 2 1808'. The name plate to the top of the box is engraved with the name of either J. C. or T.C. Dobson with a crest of a Lion's head. Underneath the bottom writing board is a paper label for Gaimes of 53 & 54 St. Paul's Church Yard. There is an additional smaller oval maker's label to the interior of the side drawer and a shadow mark for another oval label to the underside of the top writing board.
This is a good Georgian Portable Desk by an interesting but short-lived maker. It retains both its interior and exterior keys. The date to the inside escutcheon is unusual and gives us a firm date for the box which fits in with those for William Gaimes. Dated 1808.
Closed size is given.
Dimensions:
1808
Mahogany
England
Gaimes label, engraved Dobson and January 2d 1808
Campaign Portable Desk
Good. Crossed ribbons replaced old split to pen tray restored. Escutcheon hole adjusted and split above.
Registered as exempt under the Ivory Act 2018
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