Lap Desk - Oval Cartouche
Patent/design registration not found
Needle Case
Design Details
Needle Case Type: |
Figural |
Patent/Registered to: |
Unknown |
Patent/Design Representation #: |
Unknown |
Patent/Design Registration Date: |
Unknown |
Location of Patent/Design Registration: |
Unknown |
Reference #: |
Unknown |
Dimensions: |
5.6 x 5.8 x 3.6 |
Material: |
Brass |
Name Variations: |
a) W. Avery & Son - Redditch |
Other Variations: |
a) Lap Desk - Diamond Jubilee
b) Lap Desk - Royal Bust Portraits |
Additional Photographs
Top view and side view.
Back view and bottom stamped with the Avery name.
Close up of the Avery name on the bottom and interior view.
Facts
A lap desk is a portable desk-like surface placed on a person’s lap to make it easier to write and review information when a regular desk is not
available. Early lap desks contained a storage area to carry papers, ink, quills and other supplies needed for writing. Most were made
of heavy wood and had sloping lids to provide the writer with a convenient surface upon which to write. They were used most often by travelers
who needed a convenient way to write or conduct business while being transported from one place to other. In many ways these early lap desks
were like the modern brief case.
History
Although portable boxes for writing supplies have been around for centuries, it wasn’t until the late 18th century that the Napoleonic wars and
the popularity of traveling lead to an increase in writing. Officers in the army needed a writing box in order to handle army business as well
as to write home and well-to-do young men who embarked on the “Grand Tour” of Europe, a rite of passage, needed someplace to jot down notes to
document their adventures and what they learned. During the Victorian period public education became more common and an educated middle class
learned to write as well. The introduction of the penny postage stamp and less expensive train travel provided the middle class with more
opportunities to write letters, notes and post cards necessitating a sloping surface lap desk like the ones here.
Miscellaneous
Today some believe the lap desk has been replaced by the laptop computer where information is much better organized. However, upon
closer examination, many people still need a semi-hard surface to set their computers on as well as something to place between their laps and the
warm bottoms of some PCs. Modern lightweight lap desks, often with cushioned bottoms or legs to allow ventilation, were created to solve this
problem.
