Description
This handcrafted lap desk is a replica of the portable writing desk—now in the collection of the National Museum of American History—that Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence.
Handmade in the USA from solid mahogany in the same dimensions as the original, with a slanted, adjustable writing surface, interior storage, and a working lock and key. Signed and numbered, and produced exclusively for Monticello and the Smithsonian. It's a functional piece of history, a handsome example of American furniture craft, and a touchstone of the nation’s founding ideals.
Jefferson used his writing desk throughout his life and understood its potential as a powerful symbol. In 1825, before gifting the desk to his granddaughter, he tucked this note beneath its writing surface: "Politics as well as Religion has its superstitions. These, gaining strength with time, may, one day, give imaginary value to this relic, for its great association with the birth of the Great Charter of our Independence."
Learn more about Jefferson's desk, currently on view in the exhibition American Democracy: A Giant Leap of Faith.
Museum Story
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is responsible for the collection, care and preservation of more than three million objects. The collections reflect the breadth, depth and complexity of the experiences of the American people, from social and cultural history to the history of science, medicine and technology.
Details
- Mahogany, metal
- 9.75"L x 14.375"W x 3.25"H closed or 8.25"H fully open
- Handcrafted in the USA
