WASHINGTON, D.C. – On display to the public for the first time since it was constructed in between 1755 and 1780, a Philadelphia desk and bookcase in the same family for more than 200 years has been added to the collection of the DAR Museum. It was made for Richard Waln (1737-1809), a pacifist and abolitionist Quaker in Philadelphia.

“The remarkable condition of this desk and bookcase makes them exceptional among 18^th century Philadelphia case furniture, as it still retains its original central cartouche and flame urn finials,” says Patrick Sheary, Curator of Furnishings and Historic Interiors. Few institutions possess examples of this rare furniture form. The DAR Museum joins The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Winterthur Museum and Garden, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art as caretakers of these objects that represent the pinnacle of colonial American furniture making.

Philadelphia cabinetmakers created some of the most expressive furniture in the rococo style during the colonial period. As the largest city in colonial America, Philadelphia supported many important cabinetmakers of English, German, and Irish descent who influenced design there. The desk exhibits both English and German characteristics in its carved rococo styling and massive proportions. Such a piece would have been expensive when made, particularly with the extra carving and the use of imported mahogany. 

After Richard Waln’s death, the desk and bookcase passed to his youngest son who married the granddaughter of Captain Samuel Morris, commander of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry during the American Revolution. It next passed to Richard’s grandson, who married the granddaughter of Robert Morris, known as the “financier of the revolution” and a founding father. It then passed through the family until acquired by the DAR Museum in 2020.

The desk and bookcase will be on exhibit to the public in the DAR Museum’s study gallery, available for viewing during normal museum hours. Admission is free. Check the website for details: www.dar.org/museum/visit

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About the DAR Museum
The DAR Museum tells the story of the American home from the 1600s through the early 1900s through objects, exhibits, and programming. The DAR Museum, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, supports the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution’s goals of historic preservation and education through collecting, preserving, and interpreting American decorative arts and material culture. Learn more at www.dar.org/museum