There are two distinct furniture forms known as a dumb waiter. The Georgian version od the dumb waiter consisted of three revolving circular trays attached to a central pedestal column, usually on a tripod base. It was used for holding plates and tea cups in the drawing-room. Generally made from mahogany, some varieties were contrived so that the trays were collapsible. In the later 19th century the term was applied to a two or three tiered form, with turned legs and supports, used for dishes and crockery in the dining room.

Often intriguing, is the nineteenth century metamorphic 'rise-and-fall' dumb waiter, in which the three tiers converge and convert the item to a side table by means of telescopic arms and counterbalanced weights.
Many Australian examples survive in cedar, blackwood and pine. Its descendant is the small tray mobile beloved of tea ladies and hostesses.

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Irish Regency mahogany two-tier dumbwaiter c. 1815 circular…

Irish Regency Mahogany Dumbwaiter

Irish Regency mahogany two-tier dumbwaiter c. 1815 circular shelves with gilded brass gallery, tripod base on castors, height 101 cm, diameter 55 cm. Provenance: Private Collection, Sydney.