This small lap desk was based on the desk that Thomas Jefferson designed and used to draft the Declaration of Independence at the birth of our nation.

The original at the Smithsonian in Washing ton, DC

History and Background:
    The most accurate information I could find about the history of the desk was based on a research project that was featured in the February 2001 issue of Smithsonian magazine.  In 1776, Thomas Jefferson had traveled to Philadelphia to attend the Second Continental Congress - during his trip he arranged to stay with a local cabinetmaker named Benjamin Randolph.  Jefferson had conceptualized a design for a small lap desk that could be taken anywhere, including his long coach trips from Virginia to Philadelphia.  Randolph built the desk for Jefferson based on his plans using solid mahogany with inlays at both ends. Though small, the desk must have proved a very difficult project, with lots of fine, delicate, detail work.  The desk, being small and portable, provided the perfect companion to Jefferson during his travels, allowing him the comfort of reading and writing wherever he roamed.  Many of Jefferson’s letters, memos and papers were composed on the desk, and it was used for the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson carried the desk with him until the year he died - at which point it was passed on to his grandson-in-law, Joseph Coolidge.

    The original desk is on display in the Smithsonian - it looks worn and well used, but holds the scars of its hard life with great dignity.  The desk that Benjamin Randolph built was constructed in such a way that the seasonal movement of the wood caused problems with some of the joints - and the writing boards had warped significantly over the years. I approached this project slightly differently than I would a normal reproduction.  I choose to redesign the construction of the desk to minimize or eliminate the structural problems I observed in the original, while maintaining the look, function and charm.  I imagined myself as Benjamin Randolph who had just been given a sketch of a writing box by Thomas Jefferson.  The differences in my recreation are mainly the orientation of the grain in the main box and writing boards, the use of bread board ends on the free writing boards to minimize warping, and the adjustment of the interior partitions to allow a sheet of standard paper to fit.

Use and Functions:

In its closed position, the desk is approximately the size of a laptop computer (14.25" x 10" x 3.5"). It can be easily carried under one arm.