School Bench and Desks
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Donation Details MOTAL's wooden school bench is from La Verne Elementary circa 1960s. In addition to the bench that was donated by Harold Horn, we also have two wooden desks (complete with hole for inkwell). One was a gift from The Heritage Museum of Orange County and travels alongside our exhibition A Class Action. We also have 2 panels of decorative wrought iron scroll work that came from a school desk. |
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History
The second half of the 19th century saw the beginning of compulsory education laws in the United States. Before the 1850s, children were not required by law to attend school, and only upper class families could afford to send them. As the public school system developed and an influx of students was observed, the need for schools and basic classroom materials was apparent. Most fundamentally, schools needed space for students to sit and surfaces for reading and writing. The invention of the school desk, and the subsequent variations throughout the years, emerged from these necessities. |
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In 1880, John Loughlin designed the first model of the school desk used by schools across the country. It was known as “the fashion desk” and consisted of a large desktop with an inkwell and attached bench (similar to the school desk images we have). The Fashion Desk could accommodate 2 or 3 children and allowed for a comfortable and compact classroom that fit more students. Stemming from this initial model, several modifications were made in the following decades.
In the early 20th century, the widespread use of textbooks and class materials called for a change in classroom furniture. Students now needed a place to store books and other belongings. As a result, desks evolved from the long bench style (such as MOTAL’s wooden school bench) to individual desks with either a rising lid or a cubby underneath. Areas of improvement for school desks focused on seats for comfort and proper posture, prevention of loud/disruptive noises while moving/opening the desk, aesthetic, and easy to clean materials. Gradually, school desks/furniture catered to the needs of students in the public-school learning environment and significantly contribute to the way children exist and learn in the classroom on a daily basis. 
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