This dressing table came from the house of Lim Yew Teok (1857-1925), located at 141 Neil Road. Lim Yew Teok was a shareholder of the Chinese Commercial Bank, which was established in 1912 and in 1932 merged with Ho Hong Bank and Overseas Chinese Bank to form Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation. He was also the owner of several godowns at Ho Puah Quay. Dressing tables were part of the nyonya’s trousseau which also included a bed, a washstand and basin. Given that Peranakan wedding furniture was traditionally made of namwood, lacquered red and gilded in parts, this dressing table is an example of the change in tastes and the popularity of modernist forms in the early 20th century.
