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Reading & Writing - Portable Desks & Valises

This document provides a list of various portable desks, writing boxes, document cases, and other items used for writing and carrying documents in the 18th century. It includes items owned by notable historical figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton. The items ranged from leather portfolios and valises to wooden writing boxes and desks that originated from places including England, France, America, and Constantinople during the 17th-18th centuries. The document aims to showcase the wide variety of material culture related to writing and carrying documents during this era.

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The 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center
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2K views50 pages

Reading & Writing - Portable Desks & Valises

This document provides a list of various portable desks, writing boxes, document cases, and other items used for writing and carrying documents in the 18th century. It includes items owned by notable historical figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton. The items ranged from leather portfolios and valises to wooden writing boxes and desks that originated from places including England, France, America, and Constantinople during the 17th-18th centuries. The document aims to showcase the wide variety of material culture related to writing and carrying documents during this era.

Uploaded by

The 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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18th Century Material Culture

Portable Desks & Valises


Portfolio Cases
Valises
Leather Letter / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise or Wallet
Owned by George Dudley Esqr. of London 1749
(Ruby Lane)
Leather Letter / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise or Wallet
Owned by George Dudley Esqr. of London 1749
(Ruby Lane)
Leather Letter / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise or Wallet
Owned by George Dudley Esqr. of London 1749
(Ruby Lane)
Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Used by George Washington During the American Revolution & Later Mid 18th Century
(Sothebys)
Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Used by George Washington During the American Revolution & Later Mid 18th Century
(Sothebys)
Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Used by George Washington During the American Revolution & Later Mid 18th Century
(National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution)
Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Late 18th Century
(Expertissim)
Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Late 18th Century
(Expertissim)
Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Late 18th Century
(Expertissim)
Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Late 18th Century
(Expertissim)
10 Leather Wallet or Document Case Possibly Owned by George Washington
Engraved G.W. 1775
(Private Collection)
American Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Owned by Samuel Lane (1718-1806) of Stratham, New Hampshire c. 1750
(New Hampshire Historical Society)
Text

Leather Pocket Book Recovered from the Body of North Carolina General William Lee Davidson
Contains His Papers and Recovered from His Body by the British after He was Killed at the Battle of Cowan's Ford, January 31 1781
(Guilford Courthouse National Military Park)
French Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Mid 18th Century
(Christies)
French Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
18th Century
(Cooper - Hewitt / Smithsonian)
French Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Probably by Jacques Lourdire c. 1763 - 1764
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)
French Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Probably by Jacques Lourdire c. 1763 - 1764
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)
French Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Probably by Jacques Lourdire c. 1763 - 1764
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)
French Moroccan Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
M Le Comte de Caraman, 1781
(Sothebys)
Leather Valise M. PLOYART CAPITAINE AU REGT. DE ROYAL HESSE DARMSTADT
18th Century
(Private Collection)
French Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Owned by Franois Racine de Monville Late 18th Century
(Binoche et Giquello)
Morocco Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Marked Constantinople 1723
(Sothebys)
Morocco Leather Portfolio / Document or Dispatch Case / Valise
Marked Constantinople 1728
(Sothebys)
Writing
Boxes
English Oak Writing Box
1680
(Private Collection)
English Oak Writing Box
Early 17th Century
(The British Museum)
English Walnut Writing Box on Frame from Pennsylvania
c. 1720 - 1740
(Winterthur)
English Writing Box Owned by Benjamin Franklin
18th Century
(The Franklin Institute, Inc.)
English Writing Box Owned by Alexander Hamilton
Late 18th Century
(Daniel Burke Library)
English Writing Box Owned by Alexander Hamilton
Late 18th Century
(National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution)
English Writing Box Owned by Thomas Jeerson
c. 1776
(National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution)
English Writing Box Owned by Thomas Jeerson
c. 1776
(National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution)
English Writing Box Owned by Thomas Jeerson
c. 1776
(National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution)
English Mahogany Writing Box
c. 1765
(M. Ford Creech Antiques & Fine Arts)
English Mahogany Writing Box
c. 1765
(M. Ford Creech Antiques & Fine Arts)
English Mahogany Writing Box
c. 1765
(M. Ford Creech Antiques & Fine Arts)
English Mahogany Writing Box
c. 1765
(M. Ford Creech Antiques & Fine Arts)
Constantinople Leather & Wood Writing Box Made for the European Market
18th Century
(Private Collection)
Constantinople Leather & Wood Writing Box Made for the European Market
18th Century
(Private Collection)
American Pine Writing Box in Green / Blue Paint
Late 18th - Early 19th Century
(Antique Associates of West Townsend)
American Pine Writing Box in Green / Blue Paint
Late 18th - Early 19th Century
(Antique Associates of West Townsend)
English Mahogany Writing Box
c. 1790
(Hygra)
English Mahogany Writing Box
c. 1790
(Hygra)
English Mahogany Writing Box
c. 1790
(Hygra)
A Man Writing at His Desk
by Jan Ekels II c. 1784
(Private Collection)
Desks
OUT OF PLACE. HORS DEMPLOI
by Carington Bowles, after Robert Dighton 1784
(Sanders of Oxford)
Acknowledgements

The material contained within these slideshows is presented for educational purposes only. The
18th Century Material Culture Resource Center does not personally own any of the items
depicted herein and is indebted to the countless museums, libraries, and private collectors who
willingly share their collections with the public through the internet. Every attempt has been
made to credit these organizations and individuals for their contributions as best as possible.

If there is a question you have regarding a particular item featured within a presentation, please
contact the 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center and we will try to answer your
inquiry as best as possible. If for any reason you feel there is any item that should not be
presented here, or if there is an error in any listing, or if you know the source for any item whose
credit is unknown, please inform us and we will make sure your concern is addressed as soon as
possible.

Thank you!

- The 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center

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