Washstands
Commodes
and all
that jazz
that make-up
the powder rooms
Primitive Dry Sink - Tablelike dry sink unlined well 7"-10" high. Well composed of 4 boards that rest on square legs tapering out slightly from top to bottom. The crudest of dry sinks and perhaps the earliest, these simple tablelike pieces were made by farmers and householders throughout the United States. Most were simply old boards nailed together, and are a storage place for buckets of water or as a spot where personal objects might be washed.
Hints for Collectors: This sort of primitive dry sink can often be purchased for very little and would make a good flower or fern stand. Look for something different when purchasing one: dovetailing, old paint, good lines, and construction and an appealing history could all be plusses.
Late Federal Transitional Washstand - Hints for Collectors: Washstands are often reproduced, so make sure you ar buying an original piece. Look for the wear and loss of paint on the back and lower shelf caused by the pitcher an bowl resting against them and for the wear around the edge of the circular cutout where the washbowl rested.
Victorian Commode - Commode with overhanging serpentine, molded top, 2 full-length drawers. Hints for collectors: This is the last form of the once popular commode. With their serpentine design and elaborate brasses these pieces are reminiscent of the romantic aspect of the Victorian era. Oak commodes are extremely common but not inexpensive, since many collectors use them as bars or for their television or stereo units. Altering the basic form of a piece by taking off the doors or cutting holes in the back however, destroys its value as an antique.(from The Knopf Collector's Guides to American Antiques, Chests, Cupboards, Desks and Other Pieces)
