Wooton Patent Desks
The Wooton Desk Manufacturing Co. was established in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1870 by William S. Wooton, a former minister turned furniture maker, and remained active until 1893.
The company is known for a group of elaborate walnut folding desks, first patented in 1874, in the Victorian Eastlake style which were essentially self-contained offices. These elaborate cabinets came in four grades: “Ordinary,” “Standard”, “Extra”, and “Superior”. The desks were expensive, prestige furniture, even in their own time, ranging from $100 to $750 each depending on grade. They were used in the White House and by titans of finance and industy like J. P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller.
According to the 1876 Wooton catalogue, their top line of secretaries was described as follows: “The Secretary is entirely different from anything ever constructed before. It consists of three sections, the main case and (two) wings or doors, which contain pigeon-holes, shelving, drawers, etc. convenient in arrangement and uniform in appearance. We manufacture four grades, the Ordinary, Standard, Extra and Superior, and three sizes of each grade. Its capacity is more than double that of any other desk manufactured, occupying the same floor space. Every division is within easy reach of the writer; the Secretary can be opened and closed in a moment, and when closed, the contents are secure from dust and intrusion. The lock which fastens the wings is the only one required.
“The exterior cases are constructed of black walnut, polished French veneers and rich carvings, contrasted with black and gold, according to grade.
“The interior cases are of clear and beautiful woods, such as pine, poplar, maple, holly, satin wood, etc. with fine marquetry and inlaid borders. The hardware is made expressly to suit the requirements of each part, and is of ornamental Berlin bronze, real solid bronze or gold enameled.
“The writing leaf is supported by an ingenious automatic device, making it a perfectly solid table when in position for use. The letter-box is a convenience which has only to be used to be appreciated. The filing boxes in the wings are another convenience, and are furnished with a uniform set of labels in the grades named in the description.”
In addition to the principal secretary, the Wooton Company made a “Ladies’ Secretary” (6″ narrower and 5″ shallower than the top-of-the-line model) and a line of “Rotary” desks in eleven different styles ranging from a plain open top model to elaborate cylinder desks. They are all rare today; only one Ladies’s secretary is known (p4A.com item no. 78587), now owned by the Indiana State Museum. The Rotary desks are seldom seen and fewer than twelve of the larger secretaries are thought to have been made.
Wooton desks carried a paper label reading, “WOOTON Desk Manf. Co., Indianapolis, Ind./W.S. Wooton’s Patent, Oct. 6, 1874″ and a brass plate embossed “WOOTON DESK CO./INDIANAPOLIS, IND.
For further information, see Wooton Patent Desks: A Place for Everything and Everything in It’s Place by J. Camille Showalter and Janice Driesbach, The Indiana State Museum, 1983.