An antique, wooden framed, tri-fold vanity, dressing table mirror, made in Hyères, Southern France c.1890. The outer door is beautifully hand painted with birds sitting on twigs of blossom and the name of the town ‘Hyères’ is hand painted in the bottom right hand corner. The inside door is painted with blossom and a butterfly; it has a small red fabric tab to pull it open. It has an antique chain on the reverse for wall hanging, but it also has an easel which enables the user to stand it on a dresser or table. Including the frame it measures 35cm x 32.5cm wide. As it folds down to approximately 3.5cm deep, it could be used when travelling from place to place. There is a small metal leg which folds down if the easel position is not used. It is in very good condition with the expected age related wear to the mirror; on the reverse of the frame, in the bottom right corner, there is a crack in the wood (last photo), otherwise the wood is damage free and solid; there is a little bit of play in the easel stand. Please scroll through all the photos as they form an important part of the description. Thank you for viewing my listing.

When I bought this I was told that it belonged to Annie MacDonald who was a ‘dresser or lady’s maid’ to Queen Victoria. The label (7th photo) which came with the mirror states that Annie MacDonald was a ‘lady in waiting’ to Queen Victoria and that the mirror dates to 1890. Queen Victoria liked to spend time in the region where the weather was milder in the winter and in 1892 she spent over a month at Hotel de Costebelle in Hyeres.