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Learn to Recognize a Cheval Mirror



Definition: a freestanding, full-length mirror mounted between two upright posts, which rest traditionally on trestle feet and a supportive frame known as a horse ("cheval" means "horse" in French); the mirror is attached with screws, which allow it to tilt; the feet are often on casters, for portability; developed in the late 1700s, it's characteristic of Neo-Classical and Empire styles; eventually came to describe any standing mirror or even smaller mirrors suspended from a frame

Pronunciation: shuh-vahl mirror

Also Known As: cheval glass (English), Psyche (French), screen dressing glass

Example: Cheval mirrors may have been named by Thomas Sheraton, who described how they may "be turned back or forward to suit the person who dresses at them," in The Cabinet Dictionary (1803).

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