Hidden compartments series#
Some secret compartments in desks could only be reached by removing a series of regular drawers, others were concealed behind ornamental trim. Other secret compartments are quite small with just enough room for a few folded bills or perhaps a small piece of jewelry. Document boxes were one type of larger hidden compartments that became quite common for awhile, often hidden behind the half column pilasters that flanked the central section. Some compartments are a decent size, and may be found under false bottoms in a drawer. In one simple slant top desk, 21 hidden cubbies were discovered. Some desks would have only one hidden compartment, others would have many. Today we use safety deposit boxes and safes, but they were not in existence back then, so hidden compartments helped people feel secure. One reason that they became desirable was for strictly functional reasons: a secure place to keep valuable documents, money and jewelry. The trend continued for about 100 years, and though later ones can be found, they were not as common. Though they had been around for awhile, secret compartments in desks, inspired by the Italians, became popular in English and American cabinet making around 1720. So what should you be looking for to help you narrow the search? Today, many antique seekers dream of finding a desk with a secret compartment containing hidden treasures. Considering that Jefferson burned most of his personal correspondence, this truly was a treasure! Inside were priceless and historical documents, including letters from Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The desk was taken to a cabinet maker to be repaired and the secret compartment was discovered. It wasn't until 1906 when one of Monroe's descendants, a child, damaged the desk. James Monroe did not tell anyone about this secret compartment. In 1794, the future 5th president of the United States, James Monroe, purchased a Louis XVI desk that had a secret compartment. It is quite elaborate, and appeals to the detective in all of us!Īn actual finding of valuable documents in an old desk happened in the early 1900's.
The secret compartments open up with a combination involving how far the other known drawers are pulled out. A second clue is found in the twin desk at Buckingham Palace. In the movie, the hero, Benjamin Franklin Gates (played by Nicholas Cage) has to break into the White House to find clues hidden in a secret compartment in the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. The romance and mystery of secret compartments in antique desks surged with the popular movie, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets.
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