Early 20th Century Mahogany Four-Drawer Letter File Cabinet

A tall, narrow four-drawer office filing cabinet in mahogany with select veneered surfaces, dating to the early decades of the twentieth century. The case is built solid with paneled sides and back, capped by a shaped, rounded top with ebonized end caps — a quiet Edwardian touch borrowed from steamer-trunk and Globe-Wernicke office furniture of the period. Each of the four letter-size drawers is fitted with a recessed brass cardholder, a brass bail pull on stamped backplate, and a turn-style drawer lock beneath. Drawer construction is dovetailed front and back, with secondary woods left raw inside.

A circular ink maker's stamp is present on the interior of the top drawer — partially legible but not fully resolved. Cabinets of this form were standard outfitting for law offices, banks, and physicians' practices from roughly 1900 through the 1930s, before steel filing cabinets displaced wood almost entirely. The narrow single-stack footprint makes it usable in tight spaces where a modern lateral file would not fit.

CONDITION

Fair. Finish wear, scuffing, and fading throughout consistent with a century of office use. The top right side shows age-appropriate wear. The bottom drawer has chipping along its lower edge. The bottom right back corner is chipped, and the left bottom shows damage with active splitting and loss to the base molding (see supplemental reference). Drawer interiors are sound; pulls and cardholders are intact on all four drawers. Keys are absent.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 55" H × 15.5" W × 26.5" D
• Drawers: 4, letter size
• Construction: Solid mahogany with veneered top, dovetailed drawers
• Hardware: Brass bail pulls, brass cardholders, turn locks (no keys)
• Maker's Mark: Circular ink stamp present, partially legible