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c. 1785

England

Mahogany; white oak, spruce, cherry

33 1/4 x 42 3/4 x 23 5/8 in.
(84.5 x 108.6 x 60 cm)

Inscription
At rear of writing surface, "James C. Gallaher April 1825"

Architect's Table
This table was believed to have great historical significance by the family in which it descended for nearly 150 years. Tradition states that Dr. William F. Gallaher of Philadelphia purchased the table from the estate sale of the effects of Governor John Dickinson (1732 - 1808) of Delaware, who had, in turn, bought it from Thomas Jefferson when Jefferson left Philadelphia in 1776 after having written the Declaration of Independence on it. A signature on the table does indeed confirm that it was owned by the Gallaher family by 1825, even though the actual history previous to this time is uncertain. Family tradition also states that Jefferson sent the diagram for this architect's desk from Monticello to Philadelphia to his wife's kinsman, Benjamin Randolph, the eminent cabinetmaker. [Mrs. Jefferson was a Randolph.]

It is possible that the table was at one time owned by Governor Dickinson, and that he, in turn, may have acquired it from Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson wrote the Declaration while living in three rooms on the southwest corner of Market and 7th Streets in Philadelphia. Jefferson himself recorded that he wrote the Declaration on a small portable writing desk that had been made in Philadelphia by cabinetmaker Benjamin Randolph, with whom he had resided in 1775. It is not impossible that Jefferson had a large and elaborate imported drawing table to use as well.

An architect's table was a specialized piece of furniture. Developed in England in the late 18th century for the fashionable interest of gentlemen in architecture, it commonly had an adjustable drawing board and sliding drawer for supplies. Both the design and the secondary woods of the Collection's table, while not absolutely conclusive, point to this particular example being of standard English rather than American manufacture. No American made architect's tables are recorded.

In recent years, this table has played a vital and symbolic role in American history. Since entering the Department of State's collection, it has been used for several important ceremonial occasions, most significantly on July 4, 1971, when President Richard Nixon signed the 26th Amendment (lowering the voting age to eighteen) on the table in the East Room of the White House.