In modern life, a big unmovable table holds forth in the dining room. End tables flank the sofa or bed. Even the coffee table tends to stay fixed in place between couch and TV. Not so in early America, where furniture was scarce even in fine homes, and each piece did double or triple duty. Small, portable, and often expandable tables emerged in a variety of forms and styles.
Compact tables were equipped with casters to allow easy movement from hall to parlor.
