Alexander Hamilton's Traveling Writing Desk
name: label: associated person
content: Hamilton, Alexander
notes: label: Description
content: Alexander Hamilton’s thick mahogany travel desk was made to stand up to constant use. It unfolds in the center to provide a large, slanted writing surface and includes a side drawer and slots for writing accoutrements. The English-made desk dates to sometime between 1780 and 1804, the end of Hamilton’s life. Hamilton’s writing box remained with his descendants until they presented it to the National Museum in 1916.
label: Description
content: Hamilton is best known for his service in the Revolutionary War and his role as the first Secretary of the Treasury. Throughout his lifetime Hamilton kept up a continuous stream of correspondence, military papers, cabinet papers, treasury records and political commentary. Most famously he authored 51 of the 85 essays of The Federalist Papers in just eight months. Hamilton knew the power of the written word and strove to use it to its fullest. A writing desk would have been one of his most important tools throughout his lifetime.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Political History: Political History, General History Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Allan McLane Hamilton through Library of Congress
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PL.016507
label: catalog number
content: 16507
label: accession number
content: 59850
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Desk