The term originally was applied in the 17th century to small tables with two or three drawers. It soon became common practice to conceal the fittings of the dressing table when they were not in use, and great ingenuity was exercised by 18th-century cabinetmakers to combine elaborate fittings with a handsome piece of furniture. In the Cabinet-Makers’ London Book of Prices (1788), Thomas Shearer included a design for a dressing stand “with folding tops.
