At the end of the eighteenth century, burgeoning wealth and more spacious homes during our Federal period created a market for many specialized furniture forms. Inspired by the neoclassical style that had swept France and England, this furniture is characterized by lightness and delicacy. One of these new forms was the work table (hand sewing was familiarly known as "work" in the eighteenth century). Small and easily moved from room to room, these tables were largely used for sewing, reading, and writing.

Some tables had sectioned drawers and trays, and cloth bags to hold work-in-progress. In this pre-Industrial Revolution society, hand-sewn items were very valuable; drawers and even sewing-bag slides had locks. Since these tables were used in semipublic areas of the house, they were frequently decorated with carving, painting, or with inlays and veneers of imported exotic woods, depending in the region where they were made. Craftsmanship was necessarily of the highest order. They were, and still are, considered tasteful gifts for young brides.