Secretary and Bookcase
Coastal New Hampshire, Southern Maine, or Newburyport, Massachusetts, 1805-1815
Mahogany with white pine
Catalog no. 144

The secretary and bookcase displayed here was made in the Piscataqua region of New England. Its first owner was Alexander Johnston of Fayetteville, North Carolina. That the piece came south as venture cargo is suggested by the rather plain exterior. Most northern secretaries typically have at least some stringing and other contrasting inlays; inconspicuous mahogany cross banding is the only surface ornamentation on this piece. In a similarly vein, the bookcase doors were backed by green-painted paper, a cheaper alternative to the green textiles used on most other glazed bookcases. Even the brass finials so common on northern pediments of this form were omitted.