What period are most oak dressing tables?

The bulk sit between the late Victorian years and the interwar period. The 1920s are the single busiest decade in the archive, followed by the 1900s, then the 1930s and 1910s, with a further group catalogued simply as Edwardian. The dated field runs from 1750 to 1940, so older pieces exist. They are few.

How is a dressing chest different from a dressing table?

A dressing table is a table form on legs, with the mirror standing on the top. A dressing chest is a chest of drawers with the mirror fixed or hinged above it. Both turn up throughout the category. Dressing table is the more common wording in titles, dressing chest the next.

Why are French oak examples often called washstands?

French oak turns up in twenty-three titles, frequently carved and marble-topped. Several are catalogued as washstand and dressing table together, because the same marble-topped stand served both jobs. A washstand was a marble or tiled stand for a jug and basin. Once plumbing arrived, the form carried on in the bedroom as dressing furniture.

Are makers usually named on these?

Rarely. Ten titles say "labelled", and a paper or stamped label is the only maker evidence a title carries in this category. Named model ranges surface more often than maker names do, with Tilden, St Ives, Newlyn and Letchworth all appearing. One early chest is described only by a squashed heart device.

What does Arts and Crafts mean in these listings?

It is the most common style label in the archive, on roughly a fifth of titles. The pieces are plain oak with the joinery left showing, rather than veneered and polished. Cotswold school is named in several titles. It describes the same approach: solid timber, visible construction, little applied ornament.

How often do oak dressing tables come up for sale?

About fourteen a year reach the market on Sellingantiques, and fifty-four different dealers have listed one. So it is a category spread thinly across many shops rather than held by a few specialists. Unusual forms appear as one-offs: a kidney-shaped table, a corner washstand-cum-dressing table, a lift-lid fitted chest, and a single pair of matching inlaid dressing chests.

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Antique Oak Dressing Tables

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An oak table or chest with a mirror above it, made for dressing in the bedroom, and on Sellingantiques most often dating from the years either side of 1900.