Josiah Delph and William A. Bradford from Goshen, Indiana received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 179472 was issued on July 4, 1876.
This model consists of a chair in front and the attached desk behind it. The desk folds up and down with metal hinges, and it can be locked and unlocked. The compressed slats are maple-colored wood and create horizontal grooves in the seat. The iron legs have feet with small holes for attaching to a base. The desk top, the supports and legs are of decoratively cut metal. The original patent tags are attached to the desk. One tag is pasted to a newspaper clipping illustrating the machinery of the desk top.
Josiah Delph and William A. Bradford worked for L.H. Nobel & Sons, a leading manufacturer of school furniture.