Dressing table

[12] The dressing table reached peak of its importance and owes it to Marquise de Pompadour who changed the originally private toilette ritual into a morning reception.

These could include a comb, brush, hand mirror, perfume atomizer, buttonhook, powder jar, hatpin holder, a shoehorn, hair receiver and a tray.

[15] In the 21st century, with a few notable exceptions shown at the exhibits, the vanity tables are rarely produced and used; application of makeup occupies just a few moments in front of the bathroom mirror.

[16] A new demand for dressing tables was caused by beauty influencers on the social media, their young female followers have limited space, spurring the creation of new compact designs.

This light-reflecting set is made almost entirely of the cut crystal and bronze, with candelabras depicting Zephyrus and Flora supporting a rotating mirror (the ballet Flore et Zéphire [fr] had just become popular).

[19] A brief reign of Art Nouveau freed the dressing table shape from the confines of tradition, yielding striking pieces by Hector Guimard, Louis Majorelle, and Antoni Gaudi.

[22] In the aftermath of the Second World War, a Good Design movement in the US and Scandinavia called for stylish yet functional and inexpensive products, making the dressing table to become a reality for a middle-class home.