Secretary

Object Name:

Secretary

Object ID:

2022.008

Creator:

Rogers, George W. (1770-1847) -- Cabinetmaker

Place of Origin:

Concord, NH

Date:

1800-1810

Description:

Secretary, with partial label of George W. Rogers (1770-1847), Concord, NH, 1800-1810. Federal form with upper cabinet section above a lower desk section. Mahogany with mahogany and birch veneers and inlay on fronts of case and bookcase. Tapered legs with spade-shaped feet. Upper section has three cabinets; left and right cabinets have two interior drawers above three cubbies; center cabinet has two interior drawers above a single cubby. Lower section has a hinged fold out desk with green baize inset above three drawers with round brass drawer pulls. Secretary has decorative inlay, stringing, and banding on the top and bottom sections. Top section has figured inlay panels on each door flanked by inlaid fluted columns. Top of desk has two rectangular inlaid figured panels and each drawer front has two rectangular panels of bookmatched figured inlay. Fragment of printed paper label in top drawer: "GEORGE W. RO[GERS]".

Material:

Mahogany
Birch
Pine
Brass

Dimensions:

H-53.25 W-41.5 D-21 inches

Provenance:

This secretary was in the collection of Louis Guerineau Myers until 1932 and was exhibited in the Girl Scout Loan Exhibition in 1929. Benjamin Flayderman bought it at the Myers sale and sold it to Robert W. Upton in 1934. It was in the collection of Robert W. and Martha G. Upton for many years and remained in the Upton family until 2002 when Upton's granddaughter, the late Judith G. Wright (1943-2020), sold it to collector Peter Pfaffenroth (d. 2019) at Bonhams & Butterfield. The secretary was purchased by the New Hampshire Historical Society at Sotheby's auction #N10894, January 19, 2022, The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Pfaffenroth: American Furniture, Silver and Decorative Arts, Lot 1183.

The secretary was exhibited in 1964 at the Currier Gallery of Art, The Decorative Arts of New Hampshire, 1725-1825, and is illustrated in the New Hampshire Historical Society's exhibition catalog, Plain & Elegant, Rich & Common: Documented New Hampshire Furniture, 1750-1850, 1979.

Born in Newburyport, MA, George Whitefield Rogers (1770-1847) bought property in Concord, NH, in 1800 from cabinetmaker Robert Choate (1770-1849), who removed to Orford, NH. Rogers advertised several times in Concord newspapers between 1801 and 1815, specifically mentioning secretaries and ladies' secretaries in 1809. He worked as a cabinetmaker until 1819 when he offered his shop for sale. By 1821, he moved to Alfred, Maine, where he continued to build furniture.

Credit Line:

New Hampshire Historical Society Purchase, Katharine Prentis Murphy Fund

People:

Rogers, George W. (1770-1847)