How do I clean the mirror plate?

Use a soft damp cloth for the glass. Avoid spraying modern window cleaners directly onto the mirror. The liquid can pool at the bottom edge and seep behind the glass, damaging the old silvering. Dry it immediately with a separate cloth. The wooden frame needs to stay dry to prevent the veneer lifting.

My table has a very low surface height and I cannot fit my legs underneath it when I try to sit down, is this normal?

Sitting close to the mirror was less important when these were built. People often sat slightly back, or perched on a low stool rather than a standard chair. The deep frieze drawer takes up the space where your knees naturally go. Some later Victorian pieces dropped the central drawer entirely to create a taller empty arch for seating.

Can the mirror be replaced?

You can ask a glazier to fit new glass. They remove the wooden back panel and drop a fresh piece into the rebate. Many people prefer keeping the original plate. The grey spotting is part of the character. Modern glass can look glaringly bright against old wood.

The large drawers stick badly when I push them in, and I have noticed wood dust underneath the runners when pulling them out, how do I fix this?

Friction wears down the wooden runners over the decades. The drawer drops slightly and starts scraping against the frame, creating that wood dust. Rubbing a candle stub along the running edges helps ease minor sticking. If the wood is heavily worn, a cabinetmaker will need to glue thin strips of new timber along the runners to build the height back up.

Home > Dressing Tables > Victorian Dressing Tables > Page 2

Victorian Victorian Dressing Tables

← Page 2 of 6 →

Victorian dressing tables are mirrored bedroom case pieces fitted with small drawers for cosmetics and larger drawers for linen, designed so a person could sit at the centre to groom themselves.