Created by
Day, Thomas, American, 1801 - 1861
Date
ca. 1850
Medium
pine, poplar and mahogany woods with glass and metal
Dimensions
H x W x D (complete): 88 1/2 × 39 × 21 in. (224.8 × 99.1 × 53.3 cm)
H x W x D (2018.64a): 56 5/16 × 40 15/16 × 14 3/16 in. (143 × 104 × 36 cm)
H x W x D (2018.64b): 31 15/16 × 38 9/16 × 21 1/16 in. (81.2 × 98 × 53.5 cm)
H x W x D (2018.64c): 1 15/16 × 9/16 × 3/16 in. (5 × 1.5 × 0.5 cm)
Description
A secretary with mirrored doors made by Thomas Day. The secretary has an upper case (2018.64a) and a lower case (2018.64b). The upper case has a decorative finial with serpentine curves. The upper case has two large, mirrored doors with intricate, wood cutouts at the top of the doors. The lower case has two large drawers. Each drawer has two wood drawer pulls. The drawer pulls are inlaid with lighter and darker colored woods that create a star pattern. A keyhole is at the top center of each drawer. An intricate relief carving surrounds each keyhole and extends almost to the drawer pulls of each drawer. The secretary is made of pine and poplar with a mahogany veneer. The bureau is of mortice and tenon construction. A metal key (2018.64c) is included.
Place made
North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Type
secretaries (furniture)
Topic
American South
Black Enterprise
Black interiors
Business
Craftsmanship
Design
Domestic life
Free communities of color
Furniture design
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2018.64abc
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5063af82a-cdfa-4f10-9d78-0aed65df8ad8

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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