Decorative arts
Lady's Work Table
1 of 3
Many highly inventive forms of furniture were developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, reflecting both the country’s increasing affluence and the greater specialization of domestic space in 19th century households.
Several of these new forms were specifically designed for use by women in their domestic duties. Small, lightweight, and finished on all four sides, a lady’s worktable such as this could easily be placed beside a chair or in the center of a room and then set aside when not in use. Often equipped with drawers, a writing surface, and a pouch in which to store sewing materials, these tables could be used for reading, writing, or needlework.
The care evident in the creation of this worktable—with its tapering reeded legs, its drawers with inset veneer panels, and its luxurious silk sewing bag (a modern recreation based on a typical 18th-century form)— underscores the importance of needlework and writing in women’s lives in the first decades of the 19th century.
Several of these new forms were specifically designed for use by women in their domestic duties. Small, lightweight, and finished on all four sides, a lady’s worktable such as this could easily be placed beside a chair or in the center of a room and then set aside when not in use. Often equipped with drawers, a writing surface, and a pouch in which to store sewing materials, these tables could be used for reading, writing, or needlework.
The care evident in the creation of this worktable—with its tapering reeded legs, its drawers with inset veneer panels, and its luxurious silk sewing bag (a modern recreation based on a typical 18th-century form)— underscores the importance of needlework and writing in women’s lives in the first decades of the 19th century.
