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Lady's Tambour Secretary

DateCa. 1800

OriginAmerica, Massachusetts, Boston area or North Shore

MediumMahogany, white pine, cherry, and birch

DimensionsOH: 46 1/2"; OW: 37"; OD (closed): 18 3/4: OD (open): 26"

Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Joseph H. Hennage

Object number1998-198

DescriptionAppearance: Secretary in two parts; the upper with a rectangular, cove-molded cornice over plain frieze with double band of lightwood stringing and crossbanding around base above a pair of tambour slides, each opening to a fitted interior consisting of a tier of two drawers above two pigeon holes with scalloped valances; central prospect door with crossbanding, lightwood stringing, and rectangular, birchwood-veneer panel in center also opens to a fitted interior consisting of a large pigeon hole with scalloped valance over a drawer; reeded pilasters flank the tambour doors; the lower case has a hinged writing surface with green baize interior and an applied molded top edge that creates the appearance of waist molding between case pieces when closed; four graduated long drawers with central birch veneer panels, lightwood stringing, crossbanding, and applied cock-beading around exterior edge; the top drawer is flanked by lopers that have tongue-and-groove attached endpieces taller than the neighboring drawer fronts and a corresponding notch cut into the top rail to allow the lopers to rest flush with the case front when closed; base molding has a small-ogee-over-quarter-round drop on either side of an otherwise straight front skirt and slightly flared French feet.

Construction: Secretary separates into two sections; Upper case: sides and top of upper case veneered; top has applied cove molding around front and sides to create cornice with lower sub-top board dadoed about 1" below as structural top of interior section; sides possibly blind dovetailed to top (construction not visible due to veneer) and half blind dovetailed to bottom (case sides with cut dovetails extend below bottom board); single board bottom faced with 2" applied front rail; three rectangular glue blocks reinforce front rail on reverse under bottom board; back composed of two horizontal boards screwed (originally nailed) into rabbet at sides and top; bottom board is slightly chamfered on sides (maybe replaced); both tambour doors slide in “U” shaped tracks that extend to back of case with a vertical partition separating track from the desk interior; side partitions and vertical pigeonhole dividers are set into narrow dados in the case bottom and sub-top; the shaped valences of the pigeonholes are glued to the partitions and case sub-top and reinforced with three small glue blocks on reverse; all desk interior drawers follow standard dovetail construction, solid mahogany drawerfronts with small brass pull in center, horizontally oriented drawer bottoms with slightly chamfered edges set into rabbet along front and sides, flush nailed at back; prospect door made of a single white pine board veneered on front with flame birch center panel and double layer of crossbanding split by lightwood stringing, surface mounted brass escutcheon, stained on reverse to mimic mahogany with both interior vertical edges slightly chamfered to allow for tighter fit; horizontal divider set into dados along inside of prospect shaft; prospect drawer and valence follow same pattern of construction as rest of desk interior; pigeonholes, prospect and drawer shafts faced with 1" mahogany in front of white pine interior; reeded pilasters applied to front of case flanking tambour doors with separately applied capitals and bases; upper case sits between waist molding nailed to sides of the lower case and against the top edge and applied exterior molding of hinged writing surface when closed.

Lower case: the bottom and sides of the lower case are each a single board, sides veneered; top board tongue-and-grooved into two end battens and screwed from top into three lower battens running horizontally as structural top of lower case; strip of veneer applied overtop end battens with front half visible as sides of writing surface; waist molding nailed to strip of veneer alongside uppercase; two hinges secure writing flap to case front, green baize covered interior outlined with matching veneer on flap interior edges; exterior plane of writing flap is slightly dished with molded strip of wood glued to top edge to create front waist molding when closed; lower case back is made of two horizontal boards nailed into rabbet on top and sides, lower board originally flush nailed to bottom but lower edge now broken and missing with nails remaining along exposed edge of bottom board; within case, drawer supports likely tenoned to back of drawer blade and both secured to case sides with either sliding dovetails or set into dados; applied strip of mahogany covers front edge of case sides; drawer stops for lower three drawers glued vertically to case sides at back (missing proper left middle glueblock); stops for top drawer glued horizontally to back of case; rectangular lopers flank top drawer, each made of a single horizontal board tongue-and-grooved into an 2 ½" vertical facing of mahogany (proper left facing made of two vertically oriented blocks, proper right is solid facing); attached endpiece has outer edge cut taller than the rest of the loper with a small corresponding notch cut into the top rail to allow loper to rest flush with case when closed; vertical loper divider double tenoned into top rail and top drawer blade; guide for loper nailed to top of top drawer support; a peg set into the center of the loper side acts as a stops when extended; vertical glue blocks attached to case sides at back; drawers follow standard dovetail construction; horizontally oriented drawer bottom with chamfered sides set into rabbet at top and sides and flush nailed to back; drawer fronts with veneered rectangular birch panel and lightwood stringing, crossbanded with applied cockbeading around exterior edge; each drawer with two oval shaped brass pulls (replaced) and surface mounted rectangular escutcheon with incurved corners; white pine boards nailed to case bottom around front, sides, and sides of back; base molding attached to edges of boards around front and side; bracket feet mitered at corners with vertical block reinforcing each foot on reverse along with two flanking horizontal glue blocks; angled rear bracket butt joined to side bracket with vertical glue block on exterior edge

Materials: Mahogany primary with white pine secondary and birch veneer; except for cherry writing flap
Label TextIn the last decade of the eighteenth century, John and Thomas Seymour popularized an innovative new feature for their desks and writing tables with their Boston clientele, the delicate tambour door. These flexible, sliding doors were created by gluing fine strips of wood onto canvas sheets, which were then fitted into tracks in the case where they retracted from view when opened. Lady’s writing tables or secretaries designed with a pair of tambour doors in the upper cabinet and a hinged flap for writing quickly became fashionable in the urban manufacturing centers of northeastern Massachusetts and the surrounding coastal area. This form typified the early neoclassical style popular at the time with its straight lines, use of contrasting colored inlays and veneers, and reeded pilasters flanking the tambour section. Despite its elegance in appearance, the tambours were fragile and often degraded rapidly, in addition to being expensive and time consuming to produce. As such, many craftsmen began to offer a less expensive option with veneered doors in place of the easily broken tambours.

Attribution of this tambour secretary to Massachusetts, probably in the vicinity of Boston, is suggested by its similarity in style and construction to a group of tambour desks thought to have been made in the same area around the turn of the century (see: Boston Furniture Archive DAPC_2014_0172). Key design characteristics unifying this group include a cove molded cornice, slightly flaring French feet with small ogee-over-quarter-round drops on an otherwise plan base molding, and a distinctive style of loper, which have attached endpieces taller than the neighboring drawer fronts and a corresponding notch cut into the case to allow the lopers to rest flush with the front. Though a maker is not known for this group there are enough stylistic similarities that point to their potential creation by the same shop or at least the same location of manufacture.
MarkingsAdhesive paper label on reverse of top drawer: "F124. [?]4000 Hepplewhite Mahogany and branch Satinwood small size tambour writing desk with four drawers; Origin, New England, circa 1790; From the Hermann F. Clarke collection of Boston, Mass."
ProvenanceProvenance: Collection of Hermann Clarke, Boston; Israel Sack, Inc., New York (1941); Collection of Charles K. Davis, Connecticut.; purchased by donor from Israel Sack Inc,. in 1988.