Help ID an old writing desk

This piece came with the house I bought but nobody seems to know anything about it. I honestly don't even like it but before I give it away I'd like to know what the style, time period and possible value could be.

 

I like it.
No labels/marks?

 

Looked all around and couldnt find a single thing.

 

Style is Empire. Can't tell if this is an original empire piece circa 1840 or a revival piece circa 1910. A look at the drawer construction should be able to help me tell. Value is pretty minimal with that paint, though someone would really like the small size on this. .

 

Child size?

 

How exactly do you detmine "child size". It's not huge but not very small either.

 

Ya the custom paint work on this one isn't very appealing lol.

 

It just looks short next to that window sill. Plus the angle of picture is looking down on it. Without dimensions, it was hard to know. Which is why I asked.

 

We sure its not a washstand ?

 

Is that a backsplash? I'm leaning towards a washstand also or a dressing table. The table appears to be higher than the windowsill. The angle of the pic (looking down at it) gives it an allusion of being lower than the sill. Too bad there wasn't a pic looking straight at it. Have taken the liberty of cropping and brightening the pic for a slightly better view. Lightening up the pic makes that backsplash visible and with the backsplash makes it more a washstand or dressing table I think???

--- Susan

 

I'll take some better and more detailed photos to post tomorrow.

 

What Brad said. Personally I would rather milk snakes than strip furniture, but those pieces need stripping!

Although the backsplash argues for a washstand, the chair does not. However, even if the chair and the stand were made by the same person (company), that does not make them a pair -- merely companions.

Use together as a small desk, or dressing table. Or, put them in the guest room with washstand accoutrements.

 

The chair doesn't have the same turnings, etc... as the table. They aren't the same style, etc.

--- Susan

 

"rather milk snakes" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hahahhahahahahahahahaahahhaahhaahahahhahahahahahaahhahahahahahahahahaahhahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...................../////////////*

 

It's all in the touch......

 

WELL!!!!

 

A wash stand would make sense if there was a lower shelf. It is entirely possible that it has been removed. Actually, as a desk, I would expect it to have a back rail for stability.

 

Here's what I've recently found out after asking a few more family members. The desk was used by my great great grandmother. She was born in 1864 and used this in her 20s. Its 29" tall and 29" wide. Photos show that the front is obviously not an inlay. I'm not seeing any indication that there was a base or a rear support of any kind. The chair is not original to this piece.

 

Your family history puts this before the revival period. If she used it in the 1880s, it would have been old when she got it. However, family histories are notoriously unreliable so I would like to see drawer construction to confirm.

Hard to tell much about any possible modifications under all that paint. I am not so sure that the back-splash is original to this. Seems a bit out of scale and rather plain if this is true Empire period.

 

Here's a pic of the bottom and the rear dovetails. The fronts are difficult to see with the paint.