Significance

• In 1776, Thomas Jefferson commissioned Benjamin Randolph of Philadelphia to craft for him a Federal-style lap desk. Jefferson used this lap desk to write his first draft of the Declaration of Independence. The thirty-third president of the United States, Harry Truman, had a plaque on his desk that stated, "The Buck Stops Here." The desk itself was not extraordinary in style, but became a part of historical lore because of that plaque.
  In June of 2008, at Christy's Auction House in London, Charles Dickens' desk and chair, at which he wrote the novel "Great Expectations," fetched a final price of $850,000.
  
  

Function

• Desks function as storage space for personal papers and important documents. They are designed to provide space for you to write, to perform tasks such as bill paying, and since the last decade of the twentieth century, to work at your computer. The desk is central to organizing the business of life.
  
  

History

• The first desks were likely nothing more than tables, and there is nothing to document when humans first thought to designate a piece of furniture solely to the task of writing. But illustrations from medieval documents show scribes working at desks. During the Renaissance desks became more commonplace. These were crafted with drawers and cubbyholes, and often held secret compartments.
  By the nineteenth century, business was becoming more complex and general populations more educated. Business offices were in need of desks that could organize papers as well as provide writing surfaces. In the home, such tasks as record keeping and maintaining correspondence required a desk.
  
  

Types

• In 1874, William S. Wooton of Indianapolis designed and patented a desk for the busy businessman. Called the Cabinet Office Secretary, this desk had over one hundred storage compartments and a drop down writing surface. All this could be hidden away behind two hinged doors that could then be locked.
  A Kentuckian furniture seller named Jacob Alles invented the roll top desk in1829. This desk also hides away the clutter. The top rolls up into the cabinetry of the desk revealing the writing surface and cubbyholes. When you're finished with your work, you simply roll down the top and hide away your papers.
  In the late twentieth century, with the advent of personal computers, desks needed to be redesigned to accommodate desktop computers. Desks now have slide out stands for printers and other peripherals. There are stands for monitors and drawers for keyboards. Grommet holes are strategically placed for wiring.
  
  

Potential

• Manufacturer LapWorks, located in California, has put out a portable desk designed for use with a laptop. Its convection type design disperses heat, allowing you to use your laptop on your lap.
  So what of the old-fashioned desks, positioned near the window to allow for a view? What of the mahogany or oak desks, large and varnished to a shine? Will these be relegated to attics and basements, rendered useless by the paperless society?
  It's unlikely, because the desk is still a personal space. It represents you as a person, displays your personal touches alongside the scatter of papers and pens.