Butler's Desk
Datec. 1820 - 1830
MediumMahogany, white pine, poplar, cherry and brass
Dimensions48 1/4 × 47 3/8 × 21 1/2 inches (122.6 × 120.3 × 54.6 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Margaret Gray Thomas.
Object numberOT1951.9
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextThe George Welshman Owens family owned this butler's desk in mahogany and white pine with two small drawers at the top, a large central drawer with a drop front revealing a desk with storage compartments and a leather writing surface within. A pair of lower cupboard doors open to reveal two shallow sliding shelves. There are six brass lion's head ring pulls and lion's paw feet.
In his 1794 edition of The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide, George Hepplewhite illustrated this furniture type - a chest of drawers with a secretary drawer at the top - as a "Secretary".
In England, by the mid-nineteenth century, the term 'butler's desk' was in use. A piece of furniture designed for those in service to fine houses to keep documents and records was eminently practical and based on the ever-growing needs of an increasingly literate group of persons in service.
Here at the Owens-Thomas House, it is highly unlikely that the Owens' enslaved butler Peter was literate, or that he would openly display that literacy if he was. More likely, the desk was used by Sarah Owens, who managed her husband's business and holdings in his absence.
