Standard Wooton desk

During the late 19th century, executives of Industrial Revolution–era factories found themselves burdened with piles of receipts, letters, and papers. Indiana entrepreneur William S. Wooton designed a desk for the modern businessman in 1874. The “Wooton desk” solved their problem by combining a work surface with an office supplies cabinet and a filing system consisting of dozens of small slots, nooks, and cubbies that could be securely locked and closed to hide the clutter.

 

When introduced at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, it was nicknamed “King of Desks.”

 

Manufactured in Indianapolis, first at 70 E. Market St. and then in a former piano factory at Merrill St. & New Jersey St. (present day site of Eli Lilly headquarters), their ornate veneers, carvings, and inlay made Wooton desks into status symbols for the rich. This “Standard Grade” desk was made between 1874 and 1882. Prominent citizens such as Ulysses S. Grant, Joseph Pulitzer, and John D. Rockefeller—and even Queen Victoria—all owned Wooton desks.

 

For many years, this desk served one other VIP, as the place where Santa Claus kept his list and checked it twice in the popular Jolly Days winter exhibit.