Writing Desks: Their Evolution and Adaptation

The evolution of the writing desk has met the needs from the earliest scribe to the writers of today. Historically several advancements and changes in the style of writing desk emerged from Victorian era Great Britain and later periods in the United States with cabinet makers from several countries modifying designs. Many contemporary designs pay homage to earlier models.

While not recognizable as a desk per se, the scribe desk was a portable box with a slope hinged lid containing everything the scribe needed for his craft. As it had no legs, the scribe desk was placed on a table or raised platform on location as was necessary. The first historical mention of the word desk is believed to be dated back to around–50.

Writing desks more in line with our contemporary thoughts of what a desk should like like began to appear with the large clerk’s desk of the mid to late 17th century. The basic model of the clerk’s desk was a scribe’s desk basically set on a raised stand. At first this was temporary and the stand could be moved, but eventually this design became permanent, paving the way to design changes that included drawers, design changes, and other factors.

The next major advancement in the evolution of the writing desk is known as the knee-hole writing desk, emerging around 1700. The knee-hole design allowed for better posturing while the cabinets increased storage space without sacrifice to writing area. Along with the advent of a better writing area came the emergence of more decorative features into the desks, notably in the style of the legs.

Chippendale writing desks began appearing shortly thereafter from England. From these designs would come virtually all the major ancestors to the modern writing desks that we are familiar with today. In fact, writing desks remained the same for a couple centuries, undergoing radical change in only the last few decades as the advancement of computer technology has forced it.

The changing needs of writers and the use of additional building materials and the ability to mass produce desks has pushed desk designs to new heights. The evolution of the writing desk has bridged the gap and maintained balance between the needs of the creativity and productivity of the individual writer and the quantity of desks in circulation with a society that is constantly changing too.

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