Having Modern Mirrors



So many items we today take for granted. Our ancestors may not have some of the things we can hardly live without. One is, having a modern mirror, so when a man shaves or a lady does her hair or make-up, they each see themselves.

The modern mirror was not invented until 1835. So any ancestors of the early 1800s and earlier didn’t have not have a mirror to use. The beginning came with German inventor, Justus von Liebig in 1835 who added a silver nitrate coating to clear glass so an image could reflect back at the person looking. This was a silvered-glass mirror. These early mirrors were hard to make and very expensive, so most of your ancestors did not have a mirror. They did not know how they were seen by others looking at them. Yet, the beginning of the silvering process was adapted for mass manufacturing and led to the greater availability of affordable mirrors.

A mirror is a wave reflector. Light consists of waves, and when light waves reflect off the flat surface of a mirror, which form the opposite image. The old fashion name for a mirror was ‘looking glass’.

With automobiles, mirrors became very important. The style and shape of mirrors along with their frame style is also a great decoration.

Image not having any mirrors nowadays??

Photo: Vintage Hand mirror

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