Vintage Dressing Table Accessories
These vintage dressing table accessories range from scent bottles to hand mirrors designed to sit upon the vanity during the Edwardian, Victorian and Art Deco eras.
Vintage Dressing Table Accessories
The most common examples met on this page originate from the Edwardian era and the Art Deco period of the 1930s. These pieces reflect the daily routines of past dressing rooms, combining utility with decorative display through matched sets and individual vanity items.
How they were made
Makers shaped sterling silver, steel and chrome to form mounts, handles, button hooks and vanity cases, often pairing metal with fabric, velvet or leather linings. Cut crystal and moulded glass serve as the primary bodies for perfume bottles, atomizers and rouge pots.
Colour and surface pattern arrive through applied enamel, guilloche work, tortoiseshell and painted ceramic. Artisans combined these materials using silver smithing, glass cutting and enamel fusing techniques typical of early twentieth-century workshop production.
Vintage Dressing Table Accessories Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for vintage dressing table accessories 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.
Object forms span perfume bottles, atomizers, button hooks, hand mirrors, hat pin holders and fitted vanity cases.
What varies in quality
Quality in these items rests upon the weight of the sterling silver mounts, the clarity and depth of cut crystal glass, and the intact survival of delicate enamel work. Pieces featuring complete original travel cases or matched sets demonstrate higher original production standards.
The distinction between standard items and superior examples involves the reputation of the maker and the complexity of decorative techniques such as engine-turned guilloche enamel or intricate embossed silver panels.
Charles Boyton·Karl Palda·Crisford and Norris·Henry Perkins·Asprey and Co·René Lalique·Fasold and Stuach·Sabino
The Vintage Dressing Table Accessories Glossary
- Guilloche
- An intricate decorative mechanical engraving technique covered with translucent enamel, commonly found on Art Deco hand mirrors and perfume bottles.
- Button hook
- A long-handled personal tool designed for fastening tight boots or gloves, frequently rendered in sterling silver with decorative handles.
- Hat pin holder
- A weighted ceramic or silver vessel intended to display and store long hat pins upright on a dressing table surface.
- Atomizer
- A perfume spray bottle mechanism utilising a bulb and tube assembly to diffuse scent, prevalent in Czech and French glass designs.
- Ring tree
- A small upright ceramic or silver stem with branching arms designed to hold rings safely while dressing.
Vintage Dressing Table Accessories: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a dressing table set?
A matching collection of vanity items designed to sit together on a dressing table or in a travel case. These often include brushes, hand mirrors and scent bottles executed in uniform materials like silver or enamel.
They reflect the coordinated aesthetic popular during the Edwardian and Art Deco periods, intended to create a unified look for the bedroom.
How do I identify Art Deco pieces?
Art Deco dressing items display geometric lines, stylised motifs and vibrant enamel colours applied to glass and silver. Look for Czech glass atomizers and guilloche enamel pieces dating from the 1930s.
These designs favour symmetry, sharp angles and contrasting materials such as chrome, crystal and coloured enamel.
Were perfume bottles meant for travel?
Many cologne and scent bottles were manufactured specifically for travel use, often supplied in fitted leather or velvet cases. These featured secure stoppers to prevent leaks inside luggage.
Travelling sets from the Edwardian period demonstrate robust silver mounts designed to protect the glass containers during transit.
What materials were used for handles?
Handles on button hooks, clothes brushes and hand mirrors commonly incorporate sterling silver, ebony or tortoiseshell. Metal components often feature embossed decoration or hallmarks indicating the assay office and year.
Victorian and Edwardian examples relied heavily on natural materials like tortoiseshell and dense hardwoods alongside silver.