A petticoat mirror is a low mirror mounted on a hall console or table. At first glance, a petticoat mirror can be hard to spot, as it is typically close to the floor, but petticoat mirrors actually serve a number of important design functions. These mirrors are most commonly seen in formal hall furniture, especially that designed for Southern homes. According to legend, the petticoat mirror is named for the fact that women would use the mirror to check their petticoats and hemlines before leaving the house. Alas, this explanation is probably not correct, as anyone who has attempted to check a hemline in a petticoat mirror can attest. It is often difficult to see a petticoat mirror when standing directly in front of it, due to its positioning, as it is typically mounted below a table, drawer unit, or shelf, and petticoat mirrors typically end short of the floor, which would make it hard to see the bottom of the hemline in a set of full skirts. More probably, the petticoat mirror was dev
A Petticoat Mirror is a low mirror which was used primarily in the 18th and 19th Centuries. It is mounted on a hall console, below a table, drawer unit or shelf. The title “Petticoat Mirror” came from a myth that in previous centuries, women of the day would use this mirror to check their petticoats ( undergarments worn under a skirt) before heading out for the evening. This mirror was often seen in Southern homes and in formal furniture arrangements.
What makes this Petticoat Mirror so unique? For one, it gives a person several advantages when in use. The first is that when the mirror is placed in your room, you can view who comes up and down the steps without the person noticing. Imagine how young suitors who were dating young women in previous centuries must have felt, knowing this mirror gave this ability! A second advantage to this mirror is that it can make a hallway or entry way feel larger: It reflects patterns off the floor and walls giving an extended look. Thirdly, Petticoat Mirrors gave rooms a romantic glow.
Think back to television programs like “Little House on the Prairie”, when the parents would sit talking at night, or the movie “The Hours”, when Virginia Wolfe would sit in her living room at evening. These two scenes portrayed the images of talking by candlelight and gas lighting. The authenticity of these scenes, comes from the reflection that the Petticoat Mirror gave off on the candlelight and gas lighting. The Petticoat Mirror would cause rooms to seem brighter at night.
In conclusion, if you want to see an item that truly speaks to the elegance and style of the 18th and 19th century, looking at the Petticoat mirror will take you back and make you feel a part of American history.