MIRRORS
The heavily freighted ships that came into the harbor in the days of
Salem's commercial prosperity brought in their holds many valuables,
including mirrors, several of which are to-day found in Salem homes. Not
a few of these are ancestral heirlooms, closely interlinked with
interesting family histories, and their depths have reflected the faces
of many old-time belles.
Even in the earliest days of the colonies, mirrors formed a part of the
household accessories, for our Puritan ancestors, scorning as they did
all pretence of personal vanity, did not forbear to glimpse their
appearance before they wended their way to service on Sabbath morn.
Proof positive of their use at this time is to-day in existence in the
form of inventories that list the prices and tell odd, descriptive
stories concerning them, as, for instance, a record of 1684 that speaks
of "a large looking-glass and brasses valued at two pounds, five
shillings."
The origin of the mirror is shrouded in mystery and the time of its
invention uncertain, but there is no doubt that rude reflectors were
made to serve the purpose in South Europe and Asia, at least three
hundred years before the Christian Era. These were made of metal, varied
in shape, and they were considered necessary toilet accessories. All
were highly polished, and several showed handles elaborately wrought.
Small mirrors of polished iron or bronze were used by the early Chinese,
who wore them as ornaments at their girdles, attached to a cord that
held the handle or knob. Who knows but these may have been forerunners
of the "vanity case" in use to-day!
Small circular placques of polished metal known as pocket and hand
mirrors came into vogue between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries.
These, too, were worn at the girdle, and placed in shallow boxes covered
with a lid. The cases were of ivory, beautifully carved with
representations of love, romance, and, less frequently, of the hunt.
Looking-glasses when first used were fastened to the wall like panels,
but in the fifteenth century they became movable. These earlier mirrors
show a great variety of shapes, and were made of different kinds of
polished metal.
The Venetians undoubtedly made the first looking-glasses, having been
the ones to discover the art of coating plates of glass with an amalgam
of tin foil and mercury. For over a century they guarded their secret
well, and it was not until 1670 that the art became known in England
through the keenness of an Englishman named Lambert.
Salem merchants sent their ships to Venetian ports, and an occasional
mirror of this make is found here. One of these is owned in Salem. It is
about a foot and a half in length, its frame of gilt surmounted by a
cornice and gilt pineapple, with claw feet.
The introduction of glass mirrors gave rise to a new industry,--the
making of mirror frames. In this occupation, cabinet-makers found a new
vent for their skill, since by far the larger number of frames were made
of wood. Of course, there were a few odd frames made, such as those of
glass fitted together at the joints with gilt molding, but the majority
were of wood. The different styles are characteristic of certain periods
or designers, and it is upon the frame rather than upon the glass
that one must rely for value, as well as for date of manufacture.
Previous to the Revolution, the colonists manufactured little furniture,
and were dependent upon England, Holland, Spain, and France for their
house furnishings, including mirrors. Many beautiful specimens thus
found their way here, and many are still to be found in colonial homes.
One such is owned in Salem. This is a Bilboa glass, an especially fine
type, one of several still preserved in New England, principally in
Marblehead. There is a popular legend that these old glasses were
brought from the Bay of Biscay by sailors for sweethearts at home,
though some authorities insist that they were imported from Italy and
paid for with dried fish. However this may be, they are certainly
excellent illustrations of the early craftsmen's skill.
The distinctive feature of the Bilboa glass is a column of
salmon-colored marble on either side of the gilt frame. This marble is
glued or cemented in small sections to the wood, and in some cases
strips of marble form the border around the frame. It is ornamented on
top by a broken arch surmounted by an urn. Grotesque and grinning heads
top the columns, and a narrow bead molding surrounds the glass and
decorates the lower part in scroll design.
[Illustration: PLATE XLII.--Girandole in George Ropes House, 1800;
Girandole, 1800; Constitution Mirror, 1780.]
The earliest type of looking-glasses came into vogue in the first half
of the eighteenth century, during the reign of Queen Anne of England.
The frames of simple wood gave little hint of the extravagant
decorations that were to follow, the only ornamentation being gilded
wooden figures and squat urns, which were occasionally used.
[Illustration: PLATE XLIII.--Picture Mirror showing Dawn, in Adams
House, 1703; English Georgian Mirror, 1750; Two-piece Looking-glass,
1750.]
Owing to the extreme difficulty of making large pieces of glass, and
also because it was not deemed prudent to waste the smaller pieces, many
of the Queen Anne mirrors were made of two pieces of glass arranged so
that one plate overlapped the other. Later, these parts were joined by
strips of gilt molding. Several of these mirrors are still in existence,
one of the earlier type being owned by Mrs. Walter L. Harris of Salem,
showing a simple glass with gilt figure ornament.
One of the finest mirror designers was Chippendale, who wrought out
Chinese patterns, his schemes showing a wonderful weaving of birds,
flowers, animals, and even human beings. One design, typical of his
work, shows a flat wooden frame cut in graceful arches, with a gilded
eagle perched on top with outspread wings. Gilt rosettes and flowers,
as well as ornaments strung on wire, were frequently used by him, and
are considered characteristic of his type.
It was customary for the frames to rest on a pair of mirror knobs, which
were fitted to the lower edge of the frame and screwed firmly to the
wall. These knobs were often made of brass, but the most fashionable
ones were of copper overlaid with Battersea enamel, and framed in rings
of brass. Among the most quaint designs which were carried out on these
mirror knobs were heads of prominent persons such as Washington,
Lafayette, and Lord Nelson. Bright-colored flowers and landscapes, the
American eagle, and the thirteen stars, representing the original
colonies, were also frequently used, as were the queer designs of the
funeral urn and weeping willow, that seemed to especially appeal to our
ancestors' taste.
By the year 1780 American mirror manufacturers had evolved a style
peculiarly their own, and the glasses made at that time were known as
Constitution mirrors. The frames were not unusual in design, generally
being made of wood, in more or less elaborate shapes, but they were
original in their decoration, especially in their tops. These generally
were graced by the American eagle, the newly chosen emblem of the
Republic, executed either in plaster covered with gilt, or in wood. A
good example of the Constitution type is shown in the Lord house at
Newton. The top shows the usual eagle decoration, though the cornice is
overhanging, fixing the date of manufacture early in the nineteenth
century. This mirror is especially historic, having belonged to the
brilliant Revolutionary hero, Henry Knox, General Washington's most
intimate friend.
Another handsome mirror of the same period is one that was originally in
the Harrod mansion at Newburyport. It was one of the few things saved
when the house was burned at the time of the great fire in 1812. This
mirror now hangs in the home of a lineal descendant of the Harrod family
in Salem. It is in perfect condition, and shows the eagle top and draped
sides.
The overhanging cornice came into vogue early in the nineteenth century.
A mirror characteristic of this date is shown in the living room at
"Highfield," the Byfield home of the Adams family, built by Abraham
Adams in 1703. It has a gilt frame of the ordinary picture type, and on
account of its association is most interesting.
A specimen of the same period is shown in the Lord house at Newton.
This is decorated with the figure of a goddess sitting in a chariot
drawn by two rams. The frame is of fine mahogany, with handsomely carved
columns, simply ornamented.
[Illustration: PLATE XLIV.--Oval Mirror, showing Acanthus leaves, once
on Cleopatra's Barge, the first pleasure yacht built in America; Mirror,
1710, resting on ornamental knobs; Mirror, 1810, in Dudley L. Pickman
House.]
Other types of mirrors popular in the days of our forefathers were the
mantel mirrors that came into favor early in the eighteenth century,
first in England and later in America. Their greatest period of
popularity was from 1760 until the commencement of the nineteenth
century. Many of these glasses were oval in shape, though the majority
consisted of three panels of glass separated only by narrow moldings of
wood. This style was probably originated by some economical
cabinet-maker who, in order to avoid the heavy expense which the
purchase of large plates involved, designed these. They were most
favorably received upon their introduction, and many of the old glasses
to be found at the present day are of this style.
One of the most valuable of these three-piece mantel glasses is that in
the drawing-room of the Pierce-Nichols house on Federal Street at Salem,
the frame of which has attracted the attention of antiquarians all over
the country. It was made for a bride, who in 1783 came to be mistress
of this old home, and it shows a finish of gold and white harmonizing
admirably with the surrounding white woodwork, exquisitely carved by
Samuel McIntyre, the noted wood-carver. Its principal features are
slender, fluted columns twined with garlands, which fancy is repeated in
the decorations of the capitals. Above the glass are two narrow panels,
one of white ornamented with gilt, and the other of latticework over
white. Just beneath the overhang of the cornice is a row of gilt balls,
a form of decoration that came into style during the latter part of the
eighteenth century, and which continued to characterize a certain class
of mirrors for several decades.
Late in the nineteenth century mirrors known as bull's-eyes and
girandoles came into vogue. These were circular in form, the glass
usually convex, and they were made by Chippendale, the Adam Brothers,
and others. The fact of their being convex rendered them impractical for
common use, though it allowed for elaborate framing, and they were
employed rather for ornament than for use. Looking up the old
definition, we find these glasses alone have the right to be called
mirrors, and that all else save "circular convex" should, properly
speaking, be termed looking-glasses.
One good example of this type was in the George house at Rowley,
Massachusetts, now demolished. It showed a heavy gilt frame, surmounted
by an eagle.
Originally, there were shown in Hamilton Hall, at Salem, two fine
examples of girandoles, with glass pendants, which in the midst of
lighted candles reflected myriad sparkles. Interesting, indeed, would be
the tales they could tell of fair ladies in powder and patches, and
courtly gallants who in the long ago gathered in this famous hall to
tread the measures of the minuet! These girandoles were the gift of Mr.
Cabot, and they are now replaced by simpler examples, the originals
having been given to the Saltonstall family, in whose possession they
still are.
Of the late colonial looking-glasses, there are two general types, the
earlier dating back to about 1810 and characterized by an overhanging
cornice, beneath which pendant balls or acorns are frequently found,
with frames of wood carved and gilded, or painted. Further decoration is
found in a panel beneath the cornice ornamented with various designs,
such as a horn of plenty, floral subjects, or classical scenes.
In the later type, the cornice has disappeared, and the frame as a rule
is more simply ornamented. The upper panel, however, has been retained,
and almost invariably it shows a painting of some sort. Until within a
comparatively few years, it was not a difficult matter to secure mirrors
of this type, but the recent fad for collecting old furniture has caused
many of the best specimens to be purchased, and, in consequence, really
good colonial mirrors are rapidly becoming scarce, and one is a
treasured possession.
The Kittredge house at North Andover, Massachusetts, shows several fine
examples of this later type, and other examples are to be found in the
Lord house at Newton, and in several Salem residences. These show a
great variety of panels, ranging from pastoral scenes to horns of
plenty, and from ships to simple baskets of flowers.
It is interesting to note, in connection with these old-time mirrors,
the influence of the period reflected in the framing, and also how
graphically the frame depicts the social life of its date of
manufacture, and the country in which it was designed. There is a marked
flamboyancy in the Venetian designs of the early eighteenth century,
changed in the middle of the same century to a heavy splendor and
inartistic grandeur. England, slightly earlier, gave examples of fruit
which many think were designed by Gibbon, but which materially lack the
freedom of his work.
Scrolls and angles, arabesques and medallions, belong to the second half
of the eighteenth century. Many such came to New England, and one of
these mirrors is still seen in a Salem home. Its decorations hint of the
influence of the Renaissance, and it shows medallions decorated with
grotesque figures on either side of the upper panel.
[Illustration: PLATE XLV.--Mirror, 1770; Lafayette Courting Mirror,
Osgood Collection; Empire Mirror, 1810.]
Perhaps as interesting as any of the old mirrors is the Lafayette
mirror, one excellent example of which is seen in the Osgood house at
Salem. This is small in size, surmounted with a painting of Lafayette,
and is one of a great number designed in compliment to the beloved
Frenchman's visit to Salem in 1784. It is known as the Courtney Mirror.
Many of the fine old specimens to be seen in Salem were brought to New
England at the time of the old seaport town's commercial glory, about
the period of the Revolution, and previous to the restrictions following
the War of 1812. These were halcyon days in Salem, "before the great
tide of East India trade had ebbed away, leaving Derby Street stranded,
its great wharves given over to rats and the slow lap of the water
among the dull green piles."
Probably there are few of these old-time mirrors but have been connected
with interesting traditions and events, and it seems a pity that their
histories have never been compiled, but have been allowed to pass
unrecorded, leaving the imagination to conjure up scenes of joy and
sorrow that have been reflected in their depths. Still, for all their
unwritten stories each and every one possesses a glamor of mystery that
makes the work of collecting them most fascinating. The personal note so
prevalent in nearly all workmanship of past centuries is particularly
noticeable in the looking-glass, and perhaps it is this very attribute
more than anything else that lends so great a degree of charm and
attractiveness to them.