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19TH CENTURY COMBINATION TRAVELER’S LAP
DESK AND PISTOL CASE – A UNIQUE GENTLEMAN’S ACCESSORY AS
USED BY ATTORNEYS, CIRCUIT JUDGES, BUSINESS MEN,
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, RAILROAD AND LAND AGENTS, AND
MILITARY OFFICERS - A VERY SPECIAL PIECE IN VERY NICE
CONDITION:
This 19TH
Century furniture grade Traveler’s Lap Desk, would have
been used by professionals as they conducted their
business away from their offices. In addition to
facilitating business or legal obligations, this lap
desk was either originally designed, or later modified,
with the addition of a concealed compartmented pistol
case beneath the writing surface. Given the
exposure of a traveler of means to acts of theft or
violence on the frontier, keeping a pistol close at hand
when conducting business and legal matters was an
obvious act of self preservation.
When opened, the desk provides a generous sized purple
velvet cloth covered blotter surface on which to compose
correspondence, and record entries in accounts and
ledgers. Along the front of the writing surface,
closest to the writer, are compartments for the two
matched ink bottles which are original to the desk, a
rectangular two-layer compartment to hold the pens, and
a smaller compartment for the nibs or pen tips. The
upper half of the desk top is hinged along the mid-line
of the blotter top and opens to access a standard paper
sheet-sized space to store documents and records. From
all outward appearances, the design of the desk presents
as nothing more than a very efficient and utilitarian
appliance from which to conduct business, however the
writing surface conceals a significant level of
lethality.
Lifting the forward writing surface, the interior
compartment beneath is partitioned for a pistol and
related ammunition and accessories. As shown in the
photographs below, the pistol compartment is sized to
accommodate a small frame pistol such as the Colt
Paterson, Model 1849 Pocket, Baby Dragoon, Wells Fargo,
Open Top and New Line revolvers, and the Smith & Wesson
Models No. 1 ˝ and No. 2 revolvers. The additional
partitions provide sufficient separate compartments to
accommodate a powder flask, caps, bullets, and the
necessary tools such as the mold, screwdriver, and
capper for a percussion pistol, or packets of cartridges
for a metallic cartridge pistol.
Measuring 14” long, 9” wide and 4 ˝” deep (external
dimensions), this
combination Traveler’s Lap
Desk and Pistol Case is very well made, featuring an
inlaid brass name plate on the top of the lid, and well
inlet hinges and lock plates.
The lock escutcheon plate
is in place and the lock functions freely and engages
properly with the original key present to complete the
case. The exterior of the case is in excellent
condition showing only the most minor shelf wear and
retaining an overall smooth, bright finish. The wood
features several areas of very attractive flame grain
and burl.
The lid mates securely with the
base with no warping, and the joints have all retained
their tight fit with no separations, splits, cracks or
age checks. The
bottom of the exterior is finished with the original
sheet of applied marble paper.
The purple velvet cloth covered blotter area shows some
wear and it has separated along the fold created when
the desk is closed. This wear is very consistent with
the age of this desk and is not particularly unsightly –
simply evidence of honest wear through the years.
There is an alpha-numeric number pressed into the top of
one of the side panels of the exterior wall of the desk
that may be a product or model number assigned by the
manufacturer who produced the desk.
The two matching ink wells are
obviously original to the desk, evidenced by the close
fit in the two compartments, and both are complete with
their original threaded caps with matching designs.
The maroon cloth lining in the pistol compartment is in
excellent condition showing no separation from the case
walls, no mothing, and no fraying. All of the partition
walls are fully intact with no loosening, nor is there
any fraying to the lining where it passes over the top
edges of the partitions. There are imprints created by
the pistol and accessories once carried in the case, and
there are some shadows of light soiling along the tops
of the partition walls.
This unique combination Traveler’s Lap Desk and Pistol
Case has survived the years in remarkable condition and
would serve very well to display a high quality small
framed pistol and the related accessories. (0128)
$1500
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