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Friday, March 14, 2008

Lap Desk



The question: what would they use to write on?

The answer: a lap desk or writing slope. (The difference being, the lap desk is smaller.) Lap desks and writing slopes were very popular throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Many lap desks were quite fancy, but there were also simpler versions, and they could have been made by a woodworker in the community. A lap desk is essentially a hinged box, often with a sloping top. Paper, pens/pencils, etc. go inside the box. When you need to write something, you pull out the necessary equipment, sit down, put the box on your lap, and away you go.
The image on top is Thomas Jefferson's writing desk, made circa 1770. The other is a writing box (or lap desk) from around 1810.
For more images of lap desks, go to http://www.hygra.com/e/rwb.htm.
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