MCI Project Summaries 2008 - Smithsonian Institution

MCI 6209 Daniel Webster Desk
MCI Staff: Donald C. Williams
Scholarly guidance was provided to the U.S. Senate Curatorial Offices and
Cabinet Shop for their replication of the desk reserved for the Senior Senator from New
Hampshire (the "Daniel Webster Desk"), considered the most important desk in the well
of the Senate. MCI provided information, demonstrations, and education for the
Curatorial Offices and the Cabinet Shop artisans in the traditional methods of veneer
fabrication and application, and the use of traditional adhesives (animal hide glue) for
both veneer work and joinery. MCI worked with the unfinished sample boards provided
by the Senate Curator (and other samples), created a series of finish protocols and
samples reflecting historical precedents of the early 19th Century U.S. cabinetmaking
practices. Once the samples were done, MCI provided demonstration, instruction, and
ongoing oversight to Senate cabinet shop staff for the successful completion of the
project.
MCI provided visual and informational context regarding craft practices for the
creation of historic furniture, especially pertaining to veneered surfaces and transparent
finishes. This assisted the Cabinet Shop in making a set of newly constructed desks for
the U.S. Senate compatible with existing historic artifacts (the "Daniel Webster" desk
currently in the well of the Senate chamber.) The information transmitted to the Senate
Cabinet Shop will in turn further their understanding of historic artifacts and their
ongoing preservation, restoration, and use of them.
187