John Austin Desk

Desk
John Austin (1722-1798) 
Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1780-86
Mahogany, cherry, white pine, brass 
Bequest of Eleanor Clarke Bowser

 In the weeks leading up to to the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, John Austin (1722-1798) was in Concord, Massachusetts, preparing stores of military supplies and rolling musket cartridges for the Provincial Congress. A carver by trade, Austin left behind his livelihood to support the revolutionary cause and was later appointed conductor for the Massachusetts artillery regiment. He continued working for the military throughout the war, guaranteeing a source of income for his family. 

By 1780, John Austin was back in his Charlestown, Massachusetts, shop. He likely carved the feet, brackets, and drop finial on this desk, which descended in the family of his son, merchant Thomas Austin (1762-1816). The desk remained with Thomas Austin and his wife Martha Frost at Historic New England’s Cooper-Frost-Austin House in Cambridge, Massachusetts.