Veldlessenaar van Jacub Schultz van Haegen (1651-1748) generaal der cavalerie c. 1690 - 1748

This writing box, made of oak and dating to the 17th or 18th century, was used by a general of the cavalry. It’s relatively small and portable, designed for use on campaigns. Notice the box’s simple, robust joinery, with a hinged writing surface that lifts to reveal small drawers. The lid retains its natural grain and texture, while the interior is more smoothly finished to aid the writing process. The labor of making such a box might have been divided between a joiner responsible for the basic carpentry, and a specialist cabinetmaker, responsible for the drawers. The box speaks to the material conditions of military life, far from any fixed address, where correspondence, record-keeping, and strategy all demanded a mobile workspace. Though this object may seem simple, it tells of the many ways in which craft and making were essential to the conduct of warfare. We should never forget that what we now call design thinking has roots in all walks of life.