Virginia Woolf's oak writing desk, between 1904-1907
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Summary
- Creator:
- Woolf, Virginia, 1882-1941, Bell, Quentin, Woolf, Virginia, 1882-1941, Lisa Unger Baskin Collection (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library), Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture, and Baskin, Lisa Unger
- Abstract:
- Writing desk at which one would stand, designed and owned by Virginia Woolf. The sloping top of the desk features a central panel in two pieces, with hinges at the top. The panel lifts to reveal a storage compartment underneath. Two drawers are located below the storage area, one on each side of the desk. There are metal pulls on each drawer. The left-hand drawer pull surrounds a flower medalion; the medalion on the right-hand drawer is missing. The drawers and desk top each feature a metal lock, but no keys are present. Quentin Bell painted the figure of Cleo holding a trumpet on the top of the desk. He painted the rest of the desk, except the back, in grays with black accents. There are random spatters of paint present on all surfaces.
- Extent:
- 2.5 Linear Feet (67.4 x 126 x 87.7 cm; 26.5 x 49.5 x 34.5 inches)
- Language:
- Materials in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.11122
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Writing desk at which one would stand, designed and owned by Virginia Woolf. The sloping top of the desk features a central panel in two pieces, with hinges at the top. The panel lifts to reveal a storage compartment underneath.Two drawers are located below the storage area, one on each side of the desk. There are metal pulls on each drawer. The left-hand drawer pull surrounds a flower medalion; the medalion on the right-hand drawer is missing. The drawers and desk top each feature a metal lock, but no keys are present. Quentin Bell painted the figure of Cleo holding a trumpet on the top of the desk. He painted the rest of the desk, except the back, in grays with black accents. There are random spatters of paint present on all surfaces.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Virginia Woolf was an English writer and one of the foremost modernists of the twentieth century.
- Acquisition information:
- The Virginia Woolf's oak writing desk were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2015.
- Custodial history:
-
The desk was designed and ordered by Virginia Woolf between 1904 and 1907 and moved first to Asheham, then to Monks House at Rodmell. In 1929, she offered the desk to her nephew, Quentin Bell, who took it to Charleston, the home of his parents, Vanessa and Clive Bell. Bell painted the figure of Cleo holding a trumpet on the top of the desk at that time. At some later date, his wife, Olivier Bell, shortened the desk's legs by six inches. They sold the desk in a Sotheby sale to aid Charleston in 1980.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Alice Poffinberger, February 2016
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Furniture -- England -- History -- 20th century
- Format:
- Standing desks
Desks - Names:
- Bell, Quentin
Woolf, Virginia, 1882-1941
Contents
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- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
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- Preferred citation:
-
Virginia Woolf's oak writing desk, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1sj0x