--- description: For Election Day 2011, TIME comissioned photographer Tim Davis to peek inside the offices of some of the Beltway's most powerful people. title: The Desks of Washington D.C. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85367c33cd7bba73/69879a7b2dce0135bd9defde/office_11.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Desks of Washington D.C.  by [Jay Newton-Small](/author/jay-newton-small/)  ## Jay Newton-Small Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 8, 2011 9:00 AM CUT  On the desk of Harry Reid, United States Senator for Nevada, and Senate Majority Leader. On the desk of Harry Reid, United States Senator for Nevada, and Senate Majority Leader.Tim Davis for TIME  by [Jay Newton-Small](/author/jay-newton-small/)  ## Jay Newton-Small Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 8, 2011 9:00 AM CUT You can tell a lot about a person from their desk—at least that’s the lesson photographer Tim Davis came away with. Davis, who is known for his fine art photography series in the books [_Lots_](http://www.davistim.com/images/lots/lots%5F1.html "undefined") and[_My Life in Politics_](http://www.davistim.com/images/politics/politics%5F1.html "undefined"), shows the subtle contradictions between the superficial and the meaningful. In this commission for _TIME,_ he gives us a peek into the controlled and quirky behind-the-scenes world of American politics. Like any artwork, these pictures take a moment for the meaning to set in. What state secrets might former Defense Secretary Robert Gates jot down on his blank notepad, red digital clocks bearing the global times zones reflected on the desk below? And is President Barack Obama in the photo in Rep. Barney Franks’ office smiling bemusedly at the Congressman’s impressive collection of glass awards? What do the native American Indian totem and the “USELESS” stamp tossed on his desk tell us about former Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike McMullen? And I like the fact that I could tell before I read the captions that SEC chairwoman Mary Shapiro’s desk belonged to a woman. What man would bother to have flowers on his desk or pastel candies on the table? To the casual observer, the desks tell stories of patriotism and irony, humor and gravity. To those of us who know them well, the desks tell us a little more. Some of the scenes look a little contrived. Take Senator Tom Coburn’s _Mr. Smith Goes to Washington_ DVD on his desk. Coburn is retiring after this term and has been a Republican maverick of late, taking on his own party on taxes and deficits. Perhaps he’s drawing inspiration from the famous film? Perhaps he just wants us to think he is? And how long has the inspirational post-it on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s desk—“a faithful friend in the medicine of life”—been there? And does he always have a giant tome of his “Accomplishments” laying about? Rep. Barney Frank’s desk looks like a museum. He couldn’t possibly use that antiquated typewriter, especially with a painting leaning atop it. Which begs the question: where does he do his work? “I’d say of all the offices I visited, only one—Barney Frank’s—felt like an actual working desk, found in flagrante politics,” Davis says. “The rest of the desks were there for show, as objects of portent or as displays arranged by handlers and PR people. I am sure Barney Frank’s desk is exactly what the editors at _TIME_ were thinking of when they came up with this project. It was messy, exuberant, colorful and needed the skills of an archaeologist to decipher.” I found a few of the desks more interesting for what’s not there than what’s there. I know for a fact that House Speaker John Boehner smokes regularly in his office and yet all evidence of ashtrays or cigarettes has been removed. And Mike Allen, _Politico_’s senior White House Correspondent, kept famously messy desks at the _Washington Post_ and here at _TIME_. I’m impressed he’s, ehrm, found neatness late in life. While you can tell a lot about a person from their desks, you can tell even more about someone on how they handle their desk being photographed. My favorite lesson from the series? That Rep. Michele Bachmann didn’t seem to get that the essay was about her desk, not her. So she’s the only member photographed with her desk. _Tim Davis is a photographer based in New York. His work is in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Guggenheim Museum, and The_ _Walker Art Center, among many others. He is represented by Greenberg van Doren Gallery in New York City and also_ _teaches at Bard college._ _See more of his work_ [_here_](http://www.davistim.com/ "undefined")_._ _Jay Newton-Small is the congressional correspondent for_ TIME_. Follow her on Twitter at_ [_@JNSmall_](http://twitter.com/#!/JNSMALL "undefined")_._  The desk of John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Tim Davis for TIME  On the desk of Harry Reid, United States Senator for Nevada, and Senate Majority Leader. Tim Davis for TIME  On the desk of Harry Reid, United States Senator for Nevada, and Senate Majority Leader. Tim Davis for TIME  The office of Robert Gates, former U.S. Defense Secretary, at the Pentagon. Tim Davis for TIME  The notepad of Robert Gates, former U.S. Defense Secretary, at the Pentagon. Tim Davis for TIME  In the office of Barney Frank, Congressman for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district. Tim Davis for TIME  On the desk of Barney Frank, Congressman for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district. Tim Davis for TIME  In the office of Barney Frank, Congressman for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district. Tim Davis for TIME  On the desk of Scott Brown, junior United States Senator for Massachusetts. Tim Davis for TIME  On the desk of Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Tim Davis for TIME  The office of Mike Allen, chief White House correspondent for Politico. Tim Davis for TIME  On the desk of Tom Coburn, United States Senator for Oklahoma. Tim Davis for TIME  The office of Tom Coburn, United States Senator for Oklahoma. Tim Davis for TIME  In the office of Tom Coburn, United States Senator for Oklahoma. Tim Davis for TIME  In the office of Mary Schapiro, chairperson of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Tim Davis for TIME  In the office of Mary Schapiro, chairperson of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Tim Davis for TIME  On the desk of Olympia Snowe, Senior United States Senator for Maine. Tim Davis for TIME  On the desk of Chris Matthews, news anchor and political commentator for MSNBC. Tim Davis for TIME  On the desk of Eric Cantor, congressman for Virginia's 7th congressional district. Tim Davis for TIME  In the office of Michele Bachmann, Congresswoman for Minnesota's 6th congressional district. Tim Davis for TIME  In the office of Michele Bachmann, Congresswoman for Minnesota's 6th congressional district. Tim Davis for TIME  In the office of Steny Hoyer, Congressman for Maryland's 5th congressional district. Tim Davis for TIME  On the desk of Harry Reid, United States Senator for Nevada, and Senate Majority Leader. 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