The Elsey School Furniture Company from The American stationer.

The American stationer.

The Elsey School Furniture Company.

It may appear strange, but this school desk wasn’t put together backward! With the seat at the front and the desk on the back, this desk model, patented by The Elsey School Furniture Company in 1878, shows off a common way that the first school desks were built. Instead of each student having their own seat and desk, each of these seats could fit two or three children. Once several of these desks were arranged in a row, the students would then use the desk attached to the seat in front of them to do their work. Since these types of desks were multipurpose and could accommodate more than one student, this helped save space and make room for more desks and students in the classroom. This was especially important as formal education for children became more popular and eventually mandatory, or required by law, in the United States!