This is a unique and stylish Victorian walnut easel that displays a beautiful piece of artwork on the top portion while the lower portion will store and protect one’s artwork and paintings. The easel has beautiful walnut burl and inlaid details throughout. There is also gold gilding and black ebonized details that your eyes will be drawn to. The top of the easel will also slide down if you want to display the cabinet without a piece of artwork. This improvement in portfolio easels was designed and patented by David J. Stein, of New York, New York, on June 19, 1877. We have located his paperwork that was submitted to the United States Patent Office. In this paperwork David writes that this invention consists in the combination with a portfolio, of a sliding frame and of a spring-catch said frame being composed of a cross-bar and of two guides, which fit into sockets in the portfolio-stand and which are provided with holes or recesses to engage with the spring-catch so that, by raising and lowering said frame, the stand is adjusted for picture-frames of different sizes. Notice that we even have the drawings that were submitted with this patent! This piece is approximately 37 1/2″ wide by 58 1/2″ high, however remember that the height is adjustable and the depth also varies.
Patented June 19,1877 – D.J. Stein – Portfolio Easel
