Modesty board

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A modesty board is a wooden or metal board intended to shield legs, ankles, or feet (historically, women’s) from view (historically, men’s) in a variety of circumstances.

Early modesty boards were often used in Quaker meeting houses and other churches of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, growing in popularity during the Victorian era. Modesty boards might be found running up the sides of stairways to discourage males from looking up females’ dresses. They were also added to the sides of church organs, which served to shield the musician’s feet and legs from the congregation’s view as she played the organ’s pedals. Later, as women began to enter the secretarial force in large numbers during the twentieth century, modesty boards were added to office desks.