What is a cheval mirror?

A cheval mirror is a tall, floor-standing dressing glass mounted within a heavy frame that allows the entire assembly to tilt on pivots. These pieces were designed to provide a full-length reflection in nineteenth-century bedrooms and dressing rooms.

How do I date a dressing mirror?

Dating relies on observing structural characteristics, timber choices, and mounting hardware styles across different nineteenth-century decades. Earlier Regency and William IV pieces often display heavier architectural mounts, while later Victorian and Edwardian examples incorporate turned supports and inlaid boxwood stringing.

Where were table mirrors placed?

Table mirrors sat atop dedicated dressing tables, chests of drawers, or washstands to assist with personal grooming. Many incorporated small drawer bases designed to hold jewellery, cosmetics, and hair accessories close to hand.

Are the mirror plates original?

Many nineteenth-century frames retain their original mercury or silvered glass, which often exhibits gentle foxing and minor age spots. Replacement glass plates appear in some pieces where the original silvering degraded significantly over decades of domestic use.