Milady's dressing table

Today I'm sharing some pieces from my collection of family memorabilia. Among the plethora of embroidery and crochet our foremothers made were Duchesse sets, to decorate and protect the dressing table.

Older dressing tables were often quite elaborate, with three-level tops and large bevelled mirrors. So the Duchesse set would consist of a large central piece and two side pieces, like this one from my mother's trousseau.

On the dressing table you might find a pincushion topped with a china half-doll like these,














or perhaps a bakelite box of dusting powder.

The little top hat beside it covers a bottle of "Mischief" perfume.

The tortoiseshell tray most likely held a man's brushes, with collars studs being kept in the little round box.

The round powder bowl is particularly beautiful, so thin it's almost transparent, with the cutest little green feet underneath.




If you have any pieces like this, take care of them, they are quite fragile.

Sometimes a lady might feel the need for some Sal Volatile, best keep it handy on the dressing table.

Sal volatile, or smelling salts, were widely used in Victorian Britain to revive fainting women, and in some areas constables would carry a container of them for this purpose. The use of smelling salts was widely recommended during WWII, with all workplaces advised to keep ‘sal volatile’ in their First Aid boxes.

They work by releasing ammonia gas, which irritates the mucous membranes of the nose and lungs, triggering an inhalation reflex, thus causing the muscles that control breathing to work faster.

(I don't think Mum ever used it.)


The other two are perfume bottles - "Divinia" by F.Wolff & Sons, Germany; and "Phul-nana", a very popular oriental-style perfume. I remember Mum wearing this when I was small.