The Place of Mirrors in the House 
LET YOUR MIRRORS BE NOT ONLY USEFUL ADJUNCTS BUT ORNAMENTAL ONES 
AS WELL—SITUATIONS IN WHICH THE DIFFERENT STYLES ARE BEST EMPLOYED 
by Katharine Newbold Birdsall 
Photographs by Mary H. Northend 
B EFORE the days of gas and elec¬ 
tricity we strove for brilliance 
in our homes by those means within 
our reach; we reflected the rays of 
the candle and lamp by many mirrors, 
and by the polish of copper and brass 
— the looking-glass of the ancient 
Hebrews. To-day we are striving to 
veil the excess of Twentieth Century 
light — to tone down the brilliance for 
which our ancestors longed. 
It is this softening process as well 
as the exercise of good taste that re¬ 
quires judicious selection and arrange¬ 
ment of our looking-glasses. Where 
in Colonial times the mirror was re¬ 
quired to double the light of the 
mantel candles, and the glass prisms 
of the fixtures were to catch and 
distribute rays into the recesses of the 
rooms, we have to-day such cunning 
arrangement of electricity and gas 
that the mirror does not serve as utili¬ 
tarian a purpose as in 
olden times. The “built 
in” mantel glass has little 
excuse for existence — it is 
merely a tradition and be¬ 
longs with the house built 
in the past few decades. 
It is not required to reflect 
either the candles on the 
mantel or the center light, 
nor is it a toilet necessity. 
The new house has plain 
mantels without glass. If 
a mirror is desired over 
the mantel, let it be one 
with an excuse for oc¬ 
cupying so prominent a 
place; let it be an antique 
over-mantel mirror of the 
proper shape and design 
to grace the space and the 
room, or at least one of the 
good reproductions — real 
antique looking - glas'ses 
are almost as scarce as 
the proverbial hen’s teeth. 
The hanging glass over 
the mantel is not in good taste, even if an antique, unless it 
tones in with the general finishing and furnishing of the room. 
If the antique does not “go” with the furnishings downstairs 
put it somewhere else — a bedroom can almost always accom¬ 
modate an extra mirror, unless it be of too heavy a type or 
elaborate a design. It takes a heavily furnished room to stand 
either the severe Empire mirror or the heavy style of Louis XV. 
The American Colonial mirrors—a 
wide choice — are the safest for present 
days use; Colonial covers such a 
multitude of styles and is so univers¬ 
ally utilitarian. 
In the right place—in the proper 
surroundings and right space—a mir¬ 
ror is a most desirable wall ornament; 
but a small glass hung in the center of 
a long wall is apt to be as great an 
eyesore as the large glass hung in so 
small a section that it overlaps the 
woodwork of door or window frames 
between which it is hung. 
We must not overlook the use of 
the mirror as a picture—a moving 
picture of nature, if you will. If you 
have a space in the living-room or 
dining-room whence a bit of wood¬ 
land or water, or a vista through the 
trees, or even a single tree, makes an 
attractive picture, do not fail to make 
use of the opportunity to secure a 
living masterpiece by 
placing a mirror so that 
the picture is held therein, 
with nature’s ever-chang¬ 
ing coloring and action—a 
picture which is yours 
only so long as nature 
wills. 
Queen Anne wall mir¬ 
rors and recent copies 
thereof are of many types ; 
the ordinary ones, with 
flat frames usually of ma¬ 
hogany, are suited to al¬ 
most any room in the 
house, to the halls or to 
the stairs. The classical 
lines are easily recog¬ 
nized, particularly in the 
broken “pediment” or 
triangular section at top — 
the favorite form of deco¬ 
ration for the looking- 
glass frame of the time of 
Queen Anne. The top of 
glass itself is often curved 
or otherwise shaped. The 
more elaborate frames, with moldings and headings, and carv¬ 
ings and “embroidery” of plaster in fruit, figures and flowers, are 
better suited to large rooms. It is advisable to find your mirror 
space before finding your mirror, to avoid the embarrassment of 
some householder who cannot provide a suitable spot 
for the bargain antique or the almost as desirable re¬ 
production. 
A convex mirror with branches for candles such as 
was popular during the Sheraton furniture period 
may be used in various places about the house 
Excellent harmony with its surroundings is attained by this over-mantel mirror with 
its divided glass and tastefully carved frame 
( 378 ) 
