What must it have been like to not be able to see yourself, except perhaps by a reflection in a pool of still water, and practically standing on your head to do that? Were we more focused on life and relationships without vanity then? We’ve come a long way from that to all of the constant selfies done today. How different were we with our physical looks not so self-centered?

Today we make sure our mirrors are also well lit and that we have magnifying mirrors to be more precise with makeup enhancements. Of course there is no denying we are all grateful for them. But do you know, or remember, the story from Greek mythology of the hunter Narcissus who fell in love with the image he saw in a reflecting pool, failing to realize that it was not some other hunk staring back at him, but his own face?

So, it made me curious to know more about the first “mirrors” and how long it took to progress to our modern-day options. The earliest known manufactured mirrors were polished obsidian (volcanic glass) with a convex surface made in Turkey approximately 8000 years ago. In the Roman Empire, mirror making appeared everywhere the Romans settled, including England. These polished metal and glass mirrors were mentioned during the first century AD. They were first backed with tin and then silver, with mercury to follow. In the 3rd century AD very small concave or convex metal surfaces with glass surfaces were made, but only a few square inches in size. The convex glass mirror was a Venetian invention of about 1300, possibly connected with the development of glass lenses in the earliest spectacles.

Can you believe, a Venetian mirror in the 15th century could cost as much as a naval ship! The skill of the ercury-manipulating glassmaking craftsmen was carefully guarded. By 1291, these workers moved to Murano to keep the secrets safe from spies and these guildsmen were sworn not to share this process with possible death if they did.

But when Louis XIV of France wanted to create what would become the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, he went to the Venetians and bribed a group of craftsmen to defect and smuggledthem and their finishes out. An assassin was sent to France and a couple of tradesmen wound up dead, but the secret was out. This would have been in the 1600s.

By the late 17th century, framed mirrors were an important part of elegant rooms. These were framed with ivory, silver, ebony or tortoiseshell. By the 18th century large mirrors over mantels were a symbol of wealth, with ornate frames, mostly carved wood with gold leaf, but some with inlaid marquetry. By the end of that century, they started painting the frames with floral or classical ornamentation.

The French were first to produce round and oval mirrors, which were popular through the 19th century. Sometimes the mirrors of this period also had candlesticks attached. Imagine candlelight reflecting off the mirror would really be helpful with no electricity, and mirrors were used to reflect and magnify light. Today, we have mirrors available with wired sconces attached, mimicking that period. The French were also credited with creating the free standing full-length cheval mirror. The frame for this size mirror was supported with four feet and was given the name cheval, meaning horse.

The early method of making glass consisted of coating the back of a sheet of glass with an amalgam of mercury and tin. Then the surface was overlaid with several sheets of tinfoil and rubbed smooth. After that the entire surface was covered with deadly mercury, a soft wool cloth placed on the surface, and weighted down for a day. They would then tilt the glass so excess mercury would slide off and save it. In the 19th century a less expensive, and safer, way of producing mirrored glass also made it available to more. And the term “mirror” took over what was previously called “looking glass.”

In 1836, a German chemist developed a technique using silver salt on metallic silver. He would then place it on a cast-iron table and cover it with wool felt to keep warm with steam. Silver nitrate was then poured onto the glass and left to “cook” for an hour to produce a lustrous silver coating which was then protected with shellac and paint on the back.

Figure 10 French oval mirror with candleholders Figure 9 Antique French Cheval Mirro r Today’s mirrors can have melted silver applied to the back of glass, but now it is even likely to be aluminum, which creates a highly reflective surface. Mirror makers stopped using mercury in the 1840s. Today’s glass is thicker and colorless, while old glass is less pure, thinner, and often with a high lead content. Currently, we have gone even further with an augmented reality smart mirror which uses a camera and display, or a reflective surface combined with AR software to enable virtual try-ons! So, we have gone from looking into still water to artificial intelligence! What’s next?

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