Sheraton Style Toilet Mirror
These Sheraton style toilet mirror pieces are classic table dressing glasses designed for the bedroom or boudoir, offering practical reflection alongside refined neoclassical lines.
Sheraton Style Toilet Mirror
A sheraton style toilet mirror sits upon a small base or box fitted with drawers, designed to rest on a larger chest or dressing table. These pieces emerge in various forms across the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries.
The buyer meets versions ranging from simple mahogany swing frames to elaborate satinwood inlaid dressing table mirrors and unusual triplate configurations. Originating in the Georgian and Regency periods, the style also sees revival manufacture in Edwardian times.
Makers construct these mirrors to aid in personal grooming, combining a pivoting glass with a stable wooden plinth. They remain practical additions to traditional interiors while showcasing period cabinet-making skills.
Materials and construction
Cabinet-makers build the main frames and base boxes using dense timbers such as mahogany and satinwood, often accentuating the surfaces with boxwood inlay. Brass fittings secure the pivoting glass plate within its arms while bone escutcheons frequently frame keyholes.
Craftsmen shape the mirrors into shield, oval, or rectangular forms, mounting them on upright supports attached to the base. The integration of crossbanding and contrasting stringing reflects the neoclassical vocabulary of the design.
Sheraton Style Toilet Mirror Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for sheraton style toilet mirror among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Some triplate mirrors feature tiny side panels angled just right to catch you unawares.
Distinctions in quality
Quality rests upon the crispness of the inlay work and the selection of figured timbers for the base and frame. Superior examples demonstrate balanced proportions between the mirror plate and the drawer box below.
Finer pieces utilise high-grade brass pivots and retain their original mirror glass, whereas later or simpler productions show less refined joinery and plainer secondary woods.
The Sheraton Style Toilet Mirror Glossary
- Shield mirror
- A dressing glass shaped like a heraldic shield, held by upright arms above a box base. This silhouette defines many neoclassical dressing table mirrors.
- Triplate
- A dressing table mirror featuring three separate glass panels, usually with a central larger glass and two smaller adjustable side mirrors. This allows multiple angles of reflection.
- Crossbanding
- A strip of veneer applied across the grain of the primary wood around the border of a drawer front or top. It creates a neat framing effect on quality pieces.
- Boxwood inlay
- Light-coloured wood set into contrasting darker timber to form geometric lines or decorative motifs. It appears frequently on Sheraton and Sheraton Revival pieces.
- Swing mirror
- A glass plate hung on horizontal pivots between two upright posts, allowing the user to tilt the angle of reflection. The assembly rests upon a stationary plinth.
Sheraton Style Toilet Mirror: Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I place a toilet mirror?
These mirrors suit placement on top of a chest of drawers, a sideboard, or a dedicated dressing table. They provide a functional surface for personal grooming while adding height and architectural interest to a room.
Ensure the supporting furniture is deep and sturdy enough to accommodate the base box safely. Placing the piece away from direct, damp sunlight helps preserve the timber and veneer over time.
How do I distinguish eighteenth-century pieces from later revivals?
Examine the construction methods, secondary woods used inside the drawers, and the characteristics of the mirror glass itself. Eighteenth-century examples often exhibit hand-cut dovetails and older glass plates with subtle imperfections.
Revival pieces from the Edwardian era or around 1900 may feature more uniform machine-sawn timber and modern plate glass. Comparing the hardware and inlay styles against known period pieces clarifies the age.
What maintenance do these mirrors require?
Keep the wood conditioned using appropriate furniture wax applied sparingly with a soft cloth. Avoid liquid polishes that can degrade historical finishes or seep into unsealed timber.
Check the brass pivots periodically to ensure they are neither too loose nor too tight, preventing strain on the wooden arms when adjusting the glass. Handle the mirror plate with care during cleaning.
Were these mirrors used by men or women?
Historically, toilet mirrors served both gentlemen and ladies for shaving, hairstyling, and applying cosmetics. They sat in dressing rooms, bedchambers, and private closets of large houses.
The inclusion of small drawers in the base allowed users to store personal grooming items, small trinkets, and documents close at hand.