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House & Garden 
THE PAST AND PRESENT USE OF MIRRORS 
So Obvious Are These Worthwhile Reflections that We Often Do Not 
Appreciate Their Value in Decoration 
MARY H. NORTHEND 
Unusual reflections are given this hallway by the 
octagonal mirror and its perspective mirror frame 
T HERE is fashion in mirrors just as 
there is in furniture. Five centuries 
ago they came into vogue, and they have 
remained distinctive in style ever since. So 
important a feature have they proved that 
the greatest designers of all times, realizing 
their worth, have given much thought to 
evolving odd shapes and unusual frames. 
The latter range from plain wooden ones to 
gilt filigree, and from picture designs to 
Chinese representations done in color with 
black lacquer frames. 
It is the evolution of the mirror that has 
given to the designer of the present day a 
varied groundwork upon which to elaborate, 
and although we realize that they have 
sometimes been changed to conform to mod¬ 
ern requirements, yet underneath each and 
everv motif one is able to discover some 
trace of the old-time art. 
We are often tempted in furnishing our 
homes to turn to the odd types of the present 
time, but we do not by any means neglect 
the old Colonial looking-glasses that were 
so popular in great-grandmother’s day, for 
we know that the master craftsmen of yes¬ 
terday have never been superseded in their 
art. Fortunate is he who has treasured, 
possibly tucked away under 
the eaves, one of these genu- 
ine antiques, for even 
though it may have become 
defaced with time and hard 
usage it can be restored to 
its original beauty through 
the use of a good wood pol¬ 
ish and a coat of paint or 
gilt. And there is a fasci¬ 
nation, not only to the anti¬ 
quarian but to the modern 
enthusiast, in the tracing of 
the ancestry of many of 
these old mirrors which 
have been connected with 
history and are surrounded 
with a wealth of interest¬ 
ing legendary lore. 
Early Types 
The first looking-glasses, 
which were of Venetian ori¬ 
gin, were simple panels of 
glass used as inserts in the 
wall. Today we frequently 
discover in the large plain 
sheets of glass which orna¬ 
ment our chimney breasts, 
framed only by a panel, the 
same thought, enlarged 
upon to give life and char¬ 
acter to our rooms. 
Not all these chimney 
breast mirrors are plain in 
surface. Rather are they 
Originally mirrors were 
made only in small pieces. 
Today these small-piece 
mirrors are combined to 
make a large grouping. 
Rosettes mark the cor¬ 
ners. It is a French style 
broken into small panes and ornamented 
with tiny gilt rosettes, and’ they generally] 
top an elaborately carved mantel, often 
decorated at either end by pictorial flower 
themes or polychrome ornamentation. This 
type of mantel glass can be produced by 
utilizing old mirrors that have long lain 
dust-covered under the eaves, for the deco¬ 
rator of today has discovered the art of cut¬ 
ting out the unbroken places to fit them into 
mirrors such as these. There is a historic 
atmosphere surrounding a mantel glass of 
this type, and it is in the employing of dis¬ 
carded bits kept only for sentiment’s sake 
that the modern housewife rejoices. 
Mirrors, more than any other feature of 
the house, lend themselves to the successful 
working out of decorative schemes, produc¬ 
ing effects that add much to the interior 
finish. Let us take for instance an apart¬ 
ment. Through the use of a mirror judi¬ 
ciously placed, reflections are made that 
give to the small room an air of spacious¬ 
ness and depth, while to a dark, gloomy 
room a touch of brightness is added. Pos¬ 
sibly in the latter case a beautiful vista of 
an outdoor garden or a far-flung landscape 
effect may be reflected in the mirror’s sur¬ 
face. Just a bowl of flow¬ 
ers or a single rose right¬ 
ly placed will throw a glint 
of color into the mirror sur¬ 
face that seems to light up 
the whole interior. 
Modern Uses 
First aid to the toilet, as 
in olden days, is no longer 
the primary use of the mir¬ 
ror, and it is therefore not 
imperative that it be placed 
solely on the wall, over¬ 
hanging the dressing table. 
Dashes of color lend en¬ 
vironment to any room, no 
matter what its location, 
and a mirror should be so 
arranged that it will catch 
some attractive object rather 
than show a plain surface. 
Sometimes the mirror 
acts only as a foil to show 
off an elaborately carved 
frame or possibly a Dutch 
picture introduced into the 
upper panel. 
