Desk of Genl BF Butler

It is pine with what's left of an oak style paint. Had it been oak and that big it would be brutal to lift.
Yes I know how heavy Oak is . I have a Quarter sawn White Oak desk that my great grandfather made I can pick it up but it is easier with two people.

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I would encourage you to attempt to have the City of New Orleans or a civil group located there who might purchase your entire collection to open a museum. The State has a tourist and museum department you could contact about the above.
 
I would encourage you to attempt to have the City of New Orleans or a civil group located there who might purchase your entire collection to open a museum. The State has a tourist and museum department you could contact about the above.

I've also thought @General Butler's collection would be a nice acquisition for a museum. I don't know for sure, but I would guess that there are museums with deep pockets who can pay for collections like this; but also plenty of museums that rely principally on donated items. I think our friend BB is hoping for the former...

ARB
 
Maybe cuz a guy like Butler would have so much he needed to room?
good stuff!...now THAT looks like a field desk put to good use...sometimes, others appear too nice to have been used for field use or mired in knee deep mud while on campaign...this looks like a true officers filed desk...
I acquired a field desk that has a small drawer and a couple of taller slots where you could, say, stand up a ledger or journal. But most of the compartments were small cubbies like on this BB example, reminiscent of a 7-Up crate. I've been wondering whether there was a practical reason for that. For example, were there a lot of smaller-dimension forms that an officer might have had to fill out, process, or store?

ARB
Each cubbies has a named purpose...the alphabet, various depth etc. So a lot of cubbies for a lot of paper and copy demands
I suspect this is likely only ONE of a now unknown number of them - Butler was too important a commander with too large a command to have fit it all into a single desk in this era of "red tape" forms and paperwork of all kinds. This *may* have been the province of a single aide, secretary, or staff member with a specific duty concerning a specific area of responsibilities. Of course it's still Butler's but his personal use of it may have been minimal.
 
I've also thought @General Butler's collection would be a nice acquisition for a museum. I don't know for sure, but I would guess that there are museums with deep pockets who can pay for collections like this; but also plenty of museums that rely principally on donated items. I think our friend BB is hoping for the former...

ARB
Lol...to borrow a twisted line from an old movie...give away...give away...I don't need no stinkin give away...lol
 
I personally know a source who is an collector like yourself (he's a Huey Long collector) and a professional appraiser of old items. He helped establish the Hall of Fame Museum in Winnfield, LA recently and the Angola Museum at Louisiana State Prison at Angola, LA also recently. If you grant consent I will attempt to sell him on your plans to sell your said collection for a museum in New Orleans for the people thereof. He has high up contacts with the State. But I have a feeling you are a good salesman and much work you can do on your own.
 
I personally know a source who is an collector like yourself (he's a Huey Long collector) and a professional appraiser of old items. He helped establish the Hall of Fame Museum in Winnfield, LA recently and the Angola Museum at Louisiana State Prison at Angola, LA also recently. If you grant consent I will attempt to sell him on your plans to sell your said collection for a museum in New Orleans for the people thereof. He has high up contacts with the State. But I have a feeling you are a good salesman and much work you can do on your own.
I am all for it but have but 1 caveat and that would be buys it all and not cherry pick.
 
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