Help me figure out what i got

I just got this secretary desk or maybe make up desk. The seller had no idea where it came from. It has slotted screws, no plywood, and no manufacturer's label.

Any idea of what it might be, and when it was made?

 

Here's a few more pics.

 

Not the first time one of these has come up recently. 1880s/1890s Victorian if memory serves. They were a hot item for a while.

 

Thanks! Any idea what it might have been used for originally? It has shelving in the glass case on the left, ink stains on the fold down leaf, but the mirror seems to suggest a make up desk? I don’t know enough about these kinds of pieces.

Also, any idea what it’s worth? It’s in fair condition; not great but certainly not damaged.

 

Turn of the century oak "side by side" bureau bookcase, in indefinable style (proto-art nouveau with some renaissance revival, maybe some French provincial and rococo, in typical arts and crafts material--oak). I see a few problems with it, but nothing important.

One side was usually a wardrobe or a display case. Desk was for writing, but it is a bedroom piece, of course

 

It wants to be art nouveau but not badly enough, and wants to be traditional furniture, but not too badly. Poor thing was highly useful in its day.

 

LOL! Not gonna lie, first time I saw it the first thing that came to my mind was that it was the product of an unsuccessful mating between a wardrobe and a squid. But I am trying to furnish a mostly original 1924 rustic cabin, so it is very much in line with what might have been here when it was built. A back then 40 year old piece that didn’t quite fit in the town home.

 

Bingo. I didn't want to call it ugly in case you liked it! It'll fit right into a cabin.

 

Everyone's more or less covered it. Ca. 1890-1900 oak side-by-side, Art Nouveau meets Renaissance Revival. Like the beveled mirror. Kind of unique and a bit stylish in a sea of copycats. The left side may have held bookshelves. These multi-use pieces were just that, so it doesn't matter if the left side held bookshelves or a rod for hanging clothes. Very cool for a rustic cabin, glad you found a use for it!

 

My thoughts too were a not-too-large-wardrobe-compact-dresser-desk for limited space!!!!!

 

It's a noble material, and built with some care. It's the decoration's merits or lack thereof that are debatable ( speaking of which, people will start finding things in it, up and down) sometimes one wishes they had spared the time and expense, but then again, for Yan's intended purpose, very typical of its time, one of raging eclecticism.

 

Looks useful -- You might want to do something to freshen up the desk surface, though. Maybe not, if you want it to stay rustic.

 

In its day, this was stylish furniture. Maybe not appropriate for a rustic cabin if trying to be authentic. Someone of meager means would not have owned this.

....though, I can see this if the cabin was a vacation home.

 

Thanks for all the comments.

Now that it’s in the warmth, I am seeing lots of warping and gaps opening. Not sure how to deal with this; my original plan was to clean the surface off with something like simple green and water, and then use a beeswax to freshen up the wood. But now I need to do some repair. I can’t just glue this down as it would crack. So how do I soften the wood so I can glue it back?

 

steam... imo

 

So under all the layers of dirt and grease i found a 111 stamped/burned into the base of the cabinet.

Any chance this might help IDing this piece?

 

I don't think so....likely an inventory or model number..

 

The final product. Took a month and many many attempts to strip, scrub, sand, rhe multiple layers of dirt, lampblack, and grease. A light stain and linseed oil. Cleaned the brass with lemon juice and salt.

Super happy with the result.

Thanks guys for letting me know what i have.

 

Well done, looks so much better!

 

good job !!