Designed by New York cabinetmaker Thomas D. Wadelton (1861-1931), this mahogany table was custom-made by S. Karpen and Bros. for the Russell Senate Office Building, which opened on March 5, 1909.

A standard set of furniture was made for each room that adjoined the senator’s private suite. The space was generally used by a clerk and stenographer and was outfitted with a rolltop desk and swivel arm chair, a rolltop typewriter desk and swivel chair, a table, two armchairs, and three small side chairs.

For the project, S. Karpen and Bros. of Chicago, Illinois (under contract with George W. Cobb, Jr.) manufactured 113 mahogany tables at a cost of $19.25 each. In 1933, when the office building was expanded, 82 additional tables were manufactured in walnut by the Sikes-Cutler Desk Corporation, Buffalo, New York (under contract with N.M. Minnix Company Inc.). For ease of identification the manufacturer’s contract referred to the table as “Type O.”