An American oak Wooton Patent desk late 19th century

the top with a three quarter pierced brass gallery over a hinged frieze fitted with a filling compartment, above a pair of arched wing doors, the left door fitted with letter and box filing shelves, the right door with pigeon holes, the interior with burr maple fall front, opening to reveal a leather inset writing surface, an arrangement of pigeon holes, compartments and drawers above a bank of four drawers flanked by further filing shelves, raised on carved feet with brass castors, the reverse with a metal plaque inscribed WOOTON DESK CO / 45 Gordon St. / Glasgow / PATENTED MAY 1st 1873 

The Wooton patent desk is perhaps the most recognisable piece of furniture of the late Victorian era. Born in 1835 William S Wooton was the eighth son of thirteen children. In 1870 he founded the Wooton Desk Company and four years later patented the design for his Cabinet Office Secretary - a desk that would come to define the late 19^th century. As the industrial revolution steamed ahead the complexity of business was in constant growth, organizing one’s life became increasingly time-consuming and demanded a new style of furniture. The Wooton desk was the perfect fit for this new set of circumstances. The most important luminaries, industrialists and royals form around the world recognised the importance of this desk and were quick to put it into use. Presidents Grant, Garfield and Harrison all kept one in their offices whilst Queen Victoria, John D Rockefeller and the railroad magnate Jay Gould are all also recorded as owning a Wooton desk. The desks were praised by London dealers, Richards Terry and Co., "Nothing in its line can exceed it in usefulness or beauty, and purchasers everywhere express themselves delighted with its manifold conveniences."