Secretary/Chest of drawers

1800-1820

Place madeNew York, New York, United States, North America

Mahogany with poplar and pine

Overall: 52 3/4 x 45 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. ( 134 x 115.6 x 54.6 cm )

Gift of Blanche Austin Rockhill

1956.169

New Yorker Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) is believed to have written the Christmas poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" at this desk. He composed the poem at his Manhattan home on West 24th Street on December 22, 1822. Although scholars continue to debate whether he actually wrote the poem, the neoclassical desk was bequeathed to the Society in 1956 along with extensive documentation that connects it to Moore.

DescriptionMahogany and veneered chest of drawers; rectangular case with backsplash, French feet, a serpentine skirt, and three graduated doors beneath a secretary drawer; drawers and round wooden knobs decorated with light-colored stringing; interior of desk drawer has tripartite arrangement with center bank consisting of four pigeonholes over a stack of two drawers (bottom drawer missing) flanked by banks consisting of a long drawer over a stack of four smaller drawers flanked by pigeonholes; backsplash may be later addition, mahogany veneer of top of case probably replaced, patches of mahogany veneer, molding, and front legs have been replaced.

ClassificationsFURNITURE