In their first flush of wealth, fashionable Marylanders supported a thriving furniture trade. Between 1760 and 1810, about 190 individual cabinetmakers and partnerships were active in Baltimore. One such partnership began when Richard Lawson (1749–1803) arrived in Baltimore, having worked many years for Seddon and Sons, a large London furniture firm. Armed with firsthand knowledge of cutting-edge style and London construction methods, he quickly partnered with John Bankson (1754–1814). Their seven-year collaboration, which lasted until 1792, produced fine Federal furniture with distinctive inlays like the one on this desk. Once broadly dated as late as 1810, these pieces are now thought to represent the first manifestations of Baltimore’s significant contribution to inlaid Neoclassical furniture.