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American History's Best Witness.
For more than a century, nearly every American President has used a splendid
desk that, in another life, sailed the seas.
The story begins with the British barque-rigged ship H.M.S. Resolute,
commanded by Admiral Sir Edward Belcher during his search for the Northwest
Passage. Sent to find missing Arctic explorers, it was abandoned by its crew
in 1852. American whalers later discovered the ship, and it was purchased,
fitted, and restored by the American government and sent to Queen Victoria
as a gift from the President and the American people. When the ship was
finally broken up, her timbers were painstakingly carved into an elaborate
desk, then presented to President Rutherford Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1879
as a heartfelt token of friendship and goodwill. American Presidents have
conducted the country's business across the glorious Resolute Desk ever
since.
PHOTO GALLERY
The historic Resolute Desk has served Presidents since 1879, including
Presidents Kennedy, Carter, Reagan, and Clinton.
Click on photo to enlarge
Every President since Hayes, except Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford, has
used the Resolute Desk. It remains unchanged from the original except for
the addition of a central panel, carved with the Presidential Seal, ordered
by President Franklin Roosevelt to conceal his leg braces from view.
President Kennedy cherished the fabled desk. It became lodged in the
national memory when young John Kennedy Jr. was photographed peering from
behind the kneehole panel as his father worked above. By the time President
Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 the desk was so well known it became a
precious museum piece. After being on exhibit for ten years at the
Smithsonian Institution, the Resolute Desk was once again put into use by
President Jimmy Carter, and the treasured piece of history currently serves
President George W. Bush in the Oval Office.
Offered for sale is History Company's extremely rare, museum-quality
exacting replica of the Resolute Desk, hand-crafted by credentialed
artisans, carpenters and wood-carvers. In order to ensure an
historically-precise reproduction, they studied the drawings of William
Evenden, designer and builder of the original Resolute desk at the Chatham
dockyard.
It measures 72-inches in length x 48-inches in width x 31-inches in height.
Functional drawers and cupboard doors open from both sides of the desk. And,
just like the White House original, an attached brass plate is inscribed
with the message from Queen Victoria. The Resolute is an extraordinary desk,
whose history is as fascinating as the Presidents it has served.
Materials: 100% of construction is in solid Oak, with antique hand-dyed
gold gilded leather tops in Burgundy, Green, Brown and Black. The desk is
hand-finished and stained in a traditional rich, antique finish as shown, or
custom-stained to match your decor. Total weight is 500 pounds.
For more than a century, nearly every American President has used a splendid
desk that, in another life, sailed the seas.
