Antique 1877 Gates Folding Drafting Table

Another fantastic, utterly awesome item is here at 13909 Antiques!

Antique 1877 Gates Folding Drafting Table

This was patented on June 19, 1877, by George W. Gates, of Worcester, Massachusetts, made of cherry wood, and is in tremendously good condition, for its' age - all elements to it still functioning.

While it originally came with two draws, only one survived, and we are most fortunate that it is the draw that has an advertising informational sheet pasted into it, billing it as "The Best Work, Study, Card or Office Table Ever Manufactured"

It goes on to extol that "it is entitled to a place; and for Social Games, Cutting, Drawing or as a Reading Desk, etc., is has no equal ..."

And, as it turns out, this piece is of historical note.

While there is a tear in the pasted sheet, obscuring one of the company names, it is the work of George W. Gates, and there is a story about Gates, and this table in the Spring 1993 Smithsonian Preservation Quarterly;

"The 1870s was an expansive period of manufacturing for the industrial arts. The proliferation of numerous patented furniture designs reflected the abundance of American invention and achievement during this period"

Citing Gates' folding drafting table, the piece went on to say;

[snip]

"The Gate's Table is highly expressive, betraying the fact that strictly utilitarianism was not Gates' only design concern. This table was produced at a moment when the patented furniture of the nineteenth century reflected important nineteenth century American taste: exuburence, love of machinery, and a desire for self-sufficiency. The Neo-Grec style of this "Castle" Collection Table is an eclectic variation of the late neo-classicism that is highly energetic in form, The table's pedestal with its winged lion's paw feet is an imaginative and dynamic synthesis of historical motifs. The mechanical complexity of the folding table reveals Gate's infatuations with machinery and a reconciliation between function and beauty."

The sheet also offers the recommended heights, under "A Model of Usefulness and Beauty that cannot fail to prove a favorite, wherever seen and used."

Its' flat surface measures 32" wide x 24" tall.

Quite simply, this is an awesome and fantastic piece of Antique Furniture.

Whether you work as an artist, or draftsperson, need a study, card, or puzzle table, or, perhaps, are  a collector of Antique Furniture, you'll want to wing your way here to 13909 Antiques, and secure purchasing this Antique 1877 Gates Folding Drafting Table before someone else does

13909 Antiques

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Waltham MA 02453

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Come by, 13909 Antiques ... Everywhere you look, you'll find a gem, a unique item, or that long-sought piece you were lookling for ... Some say we remind them of their Grandparents house ... We have a bevy of Antique and Vintage furnishing, lamps, knic knacs, costume jewlery, old magazines , Vintage Glass and  much, much more ... If you like to rummage, 13909 Antiques is the place for you ... Open until 8PM on Thursdays, and we now offer Gift Certificates!

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