A FEDERAL MAHOGANY WRITING DESK

Containing insights into the public and private pursuits of Captain Daniel Russell (1784-1858), this writing desk houses a wealth of his correspondence from both land and at sea spanning the entirety of his life. A successful whaling ship captain, Russell was the commander of the Essex in four voyages between 1809 and 1818 prior to its historic disaster during its next expedition with George Pollard as master (Charles H. Carpenter, Jr. and Mary Grace Carpenter The Decorative Arts and Crafts of Nantucket (New York, 1987), p. 167).