6 Vintage Vanity Table Objects That Made Every Morning Feel Like a Special Occasion

Victorian ladies simply adored buttons — these accessories adorned boots, gloves, belts, blouses, and dresses. As a result, getting dressed in those days required a special knack, otherwise, the process could drag on.

Fortunately, women had special tools at their disposal: button hooks. Some were miniature and fit easily into a handbag or pocket. Others came with impressively long handles.

Got this interesting button hook at an estate sale yesterday. It’s decorated with 2 neat little brass “medallions.”

Originally, button hooks were used by men, since they wore gaiters. But when long women’s gloves came into fashion — some with as many as 24 buttons — ladies happily added this fastener to their list of essential tools.

Button hooks were made from a variety of materials, including silver, ivory, wood, mother-of-pearl, and rubber. And these tools didn’t always have to be purchased. Many shops and dressmakers provided them free of charge when a customer ordered shoes or clothing. More expensive hooks were presented to family and loved ones as keepsakes.

Before deodorants came along, unpleasant odors could only be masked with perfume. At first, fragrant liquids were made exclusively from natural ingredients, and it was not until the 19th century that perfumers began using synthetic fragrances, making it possible to create new and unusual compositions.

Some perfume makers put a lot of thought into bottle design, and the bottles sometimes cost more than the perfume itself. But it made customers feel like they were buying something exclusive.

I scored this at a flea market, I am in love.

Perfume was stored in large containers in stores, and if a lady wanted to buy some, she would bring her own container. At home, the perfume from one bottle could be poured into several different flasks. Some were intended only for use at home, while others were taken along to the ball.

The latter were usually hung from a chain attached to a ring. A woman would slip the ring onto her finger and, before using the perfume, warm the little flask in her palm. This made the fragrance even richer.

In the 19th century, nearly every woman kept a special container on her dressing table where she put hair gathered from her comb or brush. Later, this hair was used to fill pincushions and small pillows, or rolled into pads and attached to the hair to make a hairstyle appear fuller.

If the strands were not too tangled, they were woven into chains and bracelets or arranged into intricate designs. Such adornments were meant to serve as reminders of loved ones and those close to the heart. Ladies preferred to make them themselves, since a jeweler might swap their own strands for someone else’s.

I bought this hair receiver at an auction.

• I found an elegant porcelain jar with a hole in the lid at my grandmother’s house. I decided it was either a little vase from a set or a trinket box.
  Feeling proud, I took it to an antique dealer to have it appraised. He picked it up, gave it a sly look-over, and said, “So, have you collected a lot of hair already, miss?” I was completely taken aback!
  It turned out it was a Victorian hair receiver! The antique dealer laughed so hard his glasses fogged up. I decided to keep the little jar as a memento.

In the second half of the 19th century, a respectable lady’s collection included a wide variety of pins and hairpins. They were used to decorate hairstyles, fasten dresses, attach lace, and secure headwear. To keep these accessories from getting lost or mixed together, they were stored in special holders that somewhat resembled salt shakers or sugar bowls.

• I found a gorgeous salt shaker at a flea market. It was clearly antique — maybe even from some rare dinnerware set! At home, I washed it, filled it with salt, and put it on the table.
  Over the weekend, my grandmother stopped by for a visit. We sat down for lunch, and she looked at the salt shaker in surprise and said, “Why did you put a pin holder on the table?” Turns out I really had found something worthy — it just had nothing to do with tableware.

I found this hatpin. It even has a compact with a little mirror inside.

At the turn of the 20th century, women’s hats reached whopping sizes. Some accessories measured more than 12 inches in length. At the same time, hatpins became true works of art: they were crafted from precious materials and adorned with expensive gemstones.

Until the end of the 19th century, jewelry boxes were typically handcrafted, so an elegant box could only be found on the vanity table of wealthy ladies. Jewelry was often associated with travel, as journeys were an essential part of aristocratic lifestyle. Perhaps for this reason, some boxes were deliberately made in the shape of carriages or coaches.

I bought this jewelry box, and I think it’s charming.

With the growth of the industry, companies began mass-producing jewelry boxes. You could even order one from a catalog. The outside was usually gold- or silver-plated, and the inside was lined with fine silk or satin.

In the Victorian era, ladies took meticulous care of their nails. Although their hands were almost always covered by gloves in public, a flawless manicure still mattered greatly — it was a sign of high status. Women would file their nails into an almond shape and carefully buff them until they were glossy and soft pink.

Found this nail buffer in an antique shop.

A special tool consisting of a handle and a soft fabric or leather insert was used for polishing. A manicure set typically included polishers, nail files, cuticle pushers, brushes, and button hooks.