Collection ID
FUR.000123
Type
Furniture
Date
Mid-1700s–early 1800s
Geography
England
Language
N/A
Medium
Wood and Metal
Dimensions
30.5 × 27.6 × 17.8 in. (77.5 × 70.2 × 45.4 cm)
Exhibit Location
Not on View

This Sheraton-style writing desk was used by English poet, playwriter, religious writer, social reformer, and anti-slavery activist Hannah More (1745–1833). More wrote her first play in 1762, and continued to write poetry, plays, and tracts, which in her later years became more evangelical. In the 1780s, she became involved with the abolitionist movement to end slavery and, in 1788, published the poem Slavery. The desk contains a note pasted on the back that states this table was used by Hannah More, and contains some provenance information.

Created in the mid-1700s to early 1800s, likely in England. Acquired before 1833 by Hannah More, Bristol, England; Acquired after 1833 by Mr. Knowles;[1] Purchased by an unknown owner. Acquired by 2010 by Gene Albert (Christian Heritage Museum), Hagerstown, Maryland; Privately purchased in 2010 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] A note pasted on the back of the desk states, “This old Sheraton table was Hannah Mores the table she did her writing on when she died her furniture fell in hand to a man by the name of Knowles on the death of Knowles it was […] sold."

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