How do you fix a loose swinging mirror?

The brass friction hinges on the uprights are usually the culprit. Most have a small screw you'll need to tighten to increase the grip on the metal thread. Sometimes the thread itself is stripped. If turning the side knobs doesn't add any tension, a restorer can insert a small wooden shim or replace the metal spindle.

My grandmother left me one of these but the glass is so cloudy I can hardly see my face in it, can the glass be cleaned?

Cloudy glass is a chemical issue, not dirt. The original silvering on the back of the plate reacts with moisture in the air and breaks down over the decades. You can't clean it away with surface polish. Some people choose to have the glass re-silvered, which restores a clear reflection but removes the historic character. Many buyers prefer the cloudy look as a mark of age.

What did people keep in the drawers?

The small base drawers held grooming accessories. You often find evidence of them storing hairpins, powders, and jewellery. Some wider central drawers have small wooden dividers. These helped organise rings and miniature pots of cosmetic rouge.

I noticed that the back of the wooden frame on mine looks like rough unpolished wood while the front is shiny mahogany, is that normal?

Cabinet-makers were commercial tradesmen who rarely wasted expensive finishes on areas no one looked at. The back of the mirror usually faced a bedroom wall. They left the pine or oak backboards bare or gave them a very quick coat of wash. The shiny mahogany on the front is a thin veneer glued over a cheaper secondary wood. Finding rough wood on the reverse is standard practice. It shows how historic workshops managed their materials.

Home > Mirrors > Toilet Mirrors > Page 2

Antique Toilet Mirrors

← Page 2 of 14 →

Designed to sit upon a chest of drawers or dressing table, an antique toilet mirror consists of a small framed glass suspended between two upright supports on a wooden base.