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Message:: [QUOTE="Ghopper1924, post: 10880930, member: 5170"]You've seen these little desks before, sometimes called davenports, sometimes called ship captain's desks. The story is that these diminutive pieces of furniture were commissioned by an English navy officer named Captain Davenport in the very late 18th Century, with the first ones designed by cabinetmakers Gillows of Lancaster as portable desks for military campaigns. Although the first ones were fairly simple, they evolved into the form we're more familiar with now over the course of the 19th Century. As time passed, the design became more and more intricate, with secret drawers and spaces built in. I'm going to guess that my new (old) walnut and mahogany davenport dates to the 1860s and was likely made in England. I'm transported with joy! The thing that sets it apart, besides the beautiful craftsmanship, is the large woodcut illustrations installed on the front and back. You can see the one on the front, installed under the sloping desk part of the piece. The woodcut has been hand-tinted, and shows a biblical-type scene, although you'll have to pitch in to tell me what the scene illustrates, because I don't know. The woodcut on the other side shows another such scene, and again the subject matter escapes me. In any case, I'm not going to pull it out from the wall; you get the idea. Thanks for your input!![ATTACH=full]534865[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]534866[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]