December, iqoc; 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
A “ Constitution ” mirror resting A type of the late Colonial looking-glasses 
on “ lookeing-glasse nobs ” dating back to about 1810 
An example of the earlier of One of the more modern types 
two main Colonial types of the old mirrors 
valuable old mirrors and to estimate the date of their manufacture 
with any degree of accuracy. 
The very earliest distinct type of looking-glasses was that of 
the first quarter of the eighteenth century, during the time of 
Queen Anne and George I. of England. The simple wooden 
frames characteristic of this period gave little hint of the extrava¬ 
gance of decoration that was soon to follow, for, save for the 
occasional use of gilded wooden figures at the sides or a squat urn 
at the top, ornaments were rarely found. The flat frames were 
usually veneered with walnut or mahogany and their beauty lay 
in the graceful curves of the top and the natural grain of the wood. 
The glass was generally outlined with a shallow beveling 
about an inch wide, which followed the shape of the frame, curving 
slightly at the top 
most cases 
large plates of glass, or else that the small pieces might not be 
wasted, many of the mirrors of the Queen Anne period were 
composed of two sections, arranged so that one plate of glass over¬ 
lapped the other. A somewhat later method of joining these 
parts was by means of a strip of narrow gilt molding. The 
former method may be seen in an old mirror of the Queen Anne 
type now in the possession of Mrs. David Kimball of Salem, 
Massachusetts. 
Mirrors of Chippendale’s designing constitute the next class 
of importance. These range in date from about 1750 to 1780 
and include a variety of styles employed by that versatile furni¬ 
ture maker. Intricate Chinese designs,' showing a wonderful 
interweaving of birds, flowers, pagodas, animals and even human 
beings, as well as some in the 
popular Rococo style, were car¬ 
ried out in his mirrors. A more 
typically Chippendale frame, 
in most cases. 
Owing to the diffi¬ 
culty of making 
S3 
A girandole which, having convex glass, A late type had a painted ship A highly prized old oval mirror A mahogany veneered mirror 
was ornamental rather than useful in the upper panel in an acanthus leaf design of the Queen Anne type 
