April 1, 2024
Our featured product this month is the oak roll top desk shown below. Desks with tops to cover the compartments and writing surface have been around a long time. One of the first roll top-like desks was the cylinder desk, which had a wooden cylinder that slid down over the work surface. Created for French nobles early in the 1700s, because it was a solid piece, it was difficult to create and it could warp, making the cylinder totally useless. The secretary desk, also known as “bureau-cabinet,” which is a rectangular piece of furniture usually taller than it is wide, is thought to have been created by the royal cabinetmaker to King Louis XV in the mid-18th-century. It features shelves for books on top, a bottom with cabinet and drawers, and a panel in the middle with a slanted drop-down desk. Next came the tambour desk, which had shutters of vertical slats of wood. Because it pulled shut across, rather than down, it only covered only the cubbyhole portion of the desk rather than also covering the writing surface the way a roll top does. One of the first US patents for a roll top desk was granted to Abner Cutler of A. Cutler & Son Furniture Manufacturing Factory of Buffalo, NY. What distinguished his design was the flexible tambour that covered the desktop and important papers while the desk was not being used. This became the key design element of every roll top desk since—and the roll top desk became the staple in offices until steel desks were invented in the early 1900’s.
There are a couple of local events worth mentioning this month. One is a concert by world-renowned cellist Michael Fitzpatrick, a recipient of the The Prince Charles Award, conferred on him by the Prince of Wales who has since become King Charles III. This is a revival of the Bluemont Concert Series, which ran for 41 years until 2018. The concert, which will include original compositions, melodic favorites, and J.S. Bach, is scheduled for Thursday, April 18th at 7 pm, at the Bluemont Community Center. Tickets are available at bluemontheritage.org with VIP tickets $30 and general admission $15. Sounds like a bargain!
Not quite as close, but another bargain is a Jane Austen-inspired Crown Inn Ball at the Lovettsville Volunteer Fire & Rescue Co. at 12837 Berlin Turnpike on Saturday, April 13th from 6:30 until 9. This is an opportunity to learn the English country dances popular in the Edwardian era—and even wear a dress with an empire waistline or a dashing tailcoat, if desired. Tickets are $20 per dancer (with a $0.50 service fee), but a family ticket is available for $80 (with a $2 service fee); see https://www.rapidfelicities.com for more info.
In case we haven’t mentioned it lately, thank you for your patronage, which we very much appreciate!
Bob & Lynne McCann