Q: I've never been able to determine what this piece was used for. It has been called a smoking stand, a sewing stand, or a shaving stand. I don't know its age. It was in our house when we bought it in 1961. There is a paper label on the bottom of the top drawer that says "Rockford Frame & Fixture Co., Rockford, Ill." The paper is embossed "Carlson." Can you help me identify this piece?

A: Rockford Frame & Fixture Co. was in business in the early 1900s. Ed Carlson is listed as a designer at the company in a 1904 furniture publication. The company ran an ad in 1907 listing its products as "Buffets, China Cabinets, Combinations, Gents' Wardrobes, Shaving Stands, Ladies' Dressing Tables, Ladies' Dressing Chairs." The company filed for bankruptcy in 1917. Your piece might be a shaving stand, but we don't know what the bottom pillars are for. Does anyone know what this is?