Federal Bullseye
Mid-20th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Antique 19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Antique Mid-19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Giltwood, Mirror
Antique Mid-19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Metal
Antique Late 19th Century Federal Convex Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Antique 19th Century American Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Early 20th Century Italian Federal Wall Mirrors
Wood, Mirror
Antique 19th Century British Convex Mirrors
Giltwood
Antique 19th Century British Regency Urns
Brass
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Posters
Paper
Early 20th Century Federal Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
People Also Browsed
Antique Early 19th Century Italian Regency Convex Mirrors
Wood, Giltwood, Mirror
Antique 1820s English Regency Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Wall Mirrors
Wood
Antique Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Taxidermy
Other
Antique Mid-19th Century British Table Mirrors
Mahogany
Antique Early 1800s English Georgian Convex Mirrors
Giltwood
Antique Late 18th Century French Directoire Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sunburst Mirrors
Gold Leaf
20th Century American Regency Wall Mirrors
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Regency Convex Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century American Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Early 20th Century Folk Art Table Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Prints
Etching
Antique 1890s American American Empire Wall Mirrors
Giltwood, Mirror
Vintage 1960s American Federal Wall Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Antique 1820s Italian Baroque Wall Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Recent Sales
Early 20th Century American Federal Girandoles
Wood
Antique 19th Century American Federal Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Antique 19th Century Unknown Federal Convex Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Antique Late 18th Century American Federal Wall Mirrors
Antique 19th Century American Federal Fireplaces and Mantels
Wood
Antique Late 19th Century Federal Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Antique Late 19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Antique Late 19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Antique Early 19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Antique 19th Century American Federal Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
20th Century American Federal Picture Frames
Mirror, Giltwood
Antique Early 19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century American Wall Mirrors
Gold
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Composition
Antique 1810s American Convex Mirrors
Wood
20th Century Federal Convex Mirrors
Giltwood
Antique 19th Century English Federal Convex Mirrors
Giltwood
Antique Late 19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Late 20th Century American Federal Desks
Brass
Vintage 1960s Wall Mirrors
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century English Federal Wall Mirrors
Gesso, Mirror, Wood
Late 20th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Antique Early 19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Giltwood
Antique 19th Century Federal Scientific Instruments
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Federal Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Federal Wall Mirrors
Composition
Vintage 1970s American Federal Convex Mirrors
Giltwood, Glass, Mirror, Wood
Antique 1820s American Federal Convex Mirrors
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century American Federal Dressers
Brass
Antique 19th Century American Federal Convex Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Antique 1820s American Federal Convex Mirrors
Wood, Mirror
Federal Bullseye For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Federal Bullseye?
A Close Look at federal Furniture
Following the Revolutionary War, the American republic referenced the Roman Republic in its designs to celebrate its independence and declare itself a powerful new country. Imbued with neoclassical elements like those being promoted by architect Robert Adam in Great Britain, antique Federal-style furniture was the first distinctly American style in its melding of ancient influences, European aesthetics and national pride.
Dating roughly from 1790 to 1830, the style featured angular furniture with saber legs and smooth surfaces that contrasted with the curvy Rococo style that was previously in fashion. Eagles were common ornamental motifs on Federal-period furniture, as were cornucopia, lyres, garlands and scrolls, adding subtle flair to pieces characterized by clean lines, geometric symmetry, balanced shapes and a sense of grandeur.
Instead of sculptural carvings, authentic Federal-style furniture was adorned with inlays and patterned veneers that showcased the rich character of different grains and types of wood. As social life tended to be informal in the young country, furniture was often lightweight, so it could be easily rearranged in a drawing room or bedroom. Pieces like dining tables with drop leaves and sideboards became popular, replacing larger chests of drawers.
The Federal style varied by region: Artisans in Charleston, South Carolina, decorated chairs with carved backs, for instance, while those in Baltimore, Maryland, preferred painted details. Its major proponents included father-and-son cabinetmakers John and Thomas Seymour in Boston, Duncan Phyfe and Charles-Honoré Lannuier in New York and Samuel McIntire in Salem, Massachusetts.
Find antique Federal tables, mirrors, storage cabinets and other Federal furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Mirrors for You
The road from early innovations in reflective glass to the alluring antique and vintage mirrors in trendy modern interiors has been a long one but we’re reminded of the journey everywhere we look.
In many respects, wall mirrors, floor mirrors and full-length mirrors are to interior design what jeans are to dressing. Exceedingly versatile. Universally flattering. Unobtrusively elegant. And while all mirrors are not created equal, even in their most elaborate incarnation, they're still the heavy lifters of interior design, visually enlarging and illuminating any space.
We’ve come a great distance from the polished stone that served as mirrors in Central America thousands of years ago or the copper mirrors of Mesopotamia before that. Today’s coveted glass Venetian mirrors, which should be cleaned with a solution of white vinegar and water, were likely produced in Italy beginning in the 1500s, while antique mirrors originating during the 19th century can add the rustic farmhouse feel to your mudroom that you didn’t know you needed.
By the early 20th century, experiments with various alloys allowed for mirrors to be made inexpensively. The geometric shapes and beveled edges that characterize mirrors crafted in the Art Deco style of the 1920s can bring pizzazz to your entryway, while an ornate LaBarge mirror made in the Hollywood Regency style makes a statement in any bedroom. Friedman Brothers is a particularly popular manufacturer known for decorative round and rectangular framed mirrors designed in the Rococo, Louis XVI and other styles, including dramatic wall mirrors framed in gold faux bamboo that bear the hallmarks of Asian design.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, mid-century modernism continues to influence the design of contemporary mirrors. Today’s simple yet chic mantel mirror frames, for example, often neutral in color, owe to the understated mirror designs introduced in the postwar era.
Sculptor and furniture maker Paul Evans had been making collage-style cabinets since at least the late 1950s when he designed his Patchwork mirror — part of a series that yielded expressive works of combined brass, copper and pewter — for Directional Furniture during the mid-1960s. Several books celebrating Evans’s work were published beginning in the early 2000s, as his unconventional furniture has been enjoying a moment not unlike the resurgence that the Ultrafragola mirror is seeing. Designed by the Memphis Group’s Ettore Sottsass in 1970, the Ultrafragola mirror, in all its sensuous acrylic splendor, has become somewhat of a star thanks to much-lauded appearances in shelter magazines and on social media.
On 1stDibs, we have a broad selection of vintage and antique mirrors and tips on how to style your contemporary mirror too.