Historical information

Dressing tables have been around since the beginning of the seventeenth century. However, it wasn't until the early to mid-20th century that middle-class homes included them in their furniture. They were often a matching part of a bedroom suite.

Dressing tables often featured a variety of objects such as combs, brushes, hand mirrors, perfume bottles, cosmetics, nail buffers, ring holders, jewellery trinket boxes, trays and pin bowls or pin trays. The latter were small shallow containers used for storing hat pins, hair pins, safety pins, and perhaps earrings. They were made of various materials including glass, metal and ceramic.

Significance

This pin bowl represents an era in the early-to-mid 20th century when matching dressing table accessories were popular and affordable to middle-class women. They were marketed as gifts and sometimes included perfumed soap and powder.

Physical description

Pin bowl; a light weight, round bowl with straight sides featuring a cut glass pattern, and a flat base with a star design.