Pair of 19th Century American Hardwood Military Filing Boxes

Two American 19th century military filing boxes from the living room at Chanteduc, sourced, Patricia recalls, by “a friend who worked at the government library in Washington, D.C.” From her personal collection, the slanted magazine‑file forms are fashioned in wood with a warm honey finish. Each retains its original paper card within a metal frame, one stenciled 29 Iowa Infantry and the other 2 Kansas Cavalry, layered with period handwriting. A circular ring pull and tiny screws speak to straightforward, workaday craft. The surfaces show a lived patina with scuffs, ink spots and gentle sunning that tell of long service and careful stewardship. Compact and upright, they read as sculptural bookends yet remain thoroughly useful. Their calm order mirrors Patricia Wells’s sensibility in the kitchen and classroom, attentive to mise en place, exact observation and intelligent simplicity. An internationally respected journalist, restaurant critic, cookbook author and cooking school founder, Patricia brings authority without pretension to objects as well as recipes. Place these on a desk for recipes, magazines, mail or seed packets, tuck them into a kitchen atelier to corral notebooks, or line a console with small books and photographs.