Artifact: Mirror and Case
Materials: Shagreen
Dimensions: 3 7/8 x 3 x 7/16 in.
Date: ca. 1800
Origin:
Collection: The Smithsonian
License: Fair Use
Ledger Entry: Small Looking Glass
Department: Household
Customer: Major John Carlyle
Ledger Page: 284
Imported From: Most looking glasses in this early period came from England.
Product Description
Looking glasses were mirrors used to view oneself, as decoration, or to increase the light in a room by reflection. Looking glasses came in a variety of sizes and types from small hand-held objects to view just your face and hair to large wall-mounted mirrors that were fixed in a room and could reflect more of ones surroundings. Large wall mirrors were a prestige item because of the difficulty and cost of making large panes of high-quality glass.
Citation: Martin, Ann Smart. Buying Into the World of Goods: Early Consumers in Backcountry Virginia. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008): 186-188.;
Historical Price: 5 pence; Modern USD: $4.67
Product Variations
The databases record only one purchase of a small looking glass for five pence.
