One could argue that the rolltop desk is as much a part of America as baseball and apple pie as it is embedded in our rich history. Authors and print reporters have long loved the rolltop desk’s unique feature of giving the appearance of a tidy work area without having to actually put any of the clutter away. The rolltop desk has been a favorite since Abner Cutler in Buffalo, New York, patented the rolltop desk in 1850.
Though widely used in late 19th and early 20th centuries, the predecessor to the rolltop desk, the cylinder desk, was in use in Europe for many years prior. The difference between cylinder desks from rolltop desks is that with cylinder desks the top that swings into place covering the desk surface is not flexible and is actually a stiff circular arc on tracks. A rolltop desk, on the other hand, has a top (known as a tambour door) that rolls into place and is flexible.
What was most likely the first rolltop desk (really a cylinder desk) was built for King Louis XV beginning in 1760 and finished approximately nine years later. This magnificent rolltop desk, in all its splendor, was built for the Palace of Versailles in France. After the French Revolution it was sent to the Louvre in Paris and was finally returned to Versailles in the early 1900’s. This rolltop desk is on display today in the same room where it was located prior to the revolution.
The rolltop desk has been a favorite of politicians, businessmen, students and authors for many, many years. We are very pleased to offer two affordable child size versions of the child rolltop desks. These beautiful versions of the classic rolltop desk carry forward this rich tradition for your kids to enjoy for many years to come.
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