Reflecting on the rise of mirrors

500 years ago it would have been very unusual to ever see a clear reflection of yourself because glass mirrors were so expensive that only the wealthiest members of society could afford them.

They were so pricey that according to one account, Gilonne d Harcourt, countess de Fiesque sold acres of farmland, just to buy one small mirror.

In the 1500s, Venice in Italy was at the centre of the mirror industry. The city’s glass-making secrets were so precious that craftsmen who tried to emigrate or share their knowledge were at risk of assassination.

But by the 1600s, the secret was out and the intricate technique of making glass for mirrors was brought to England by immigrant French glassworkers. Good quality mirrors gradually became affordable for the middle classes and were quickly put to good use.

In dark, candle-lit parlours, mirrors were used to reflect candlelight around the room. They were also used to show off their owner’s good taste and became a key part of interior design.

The emergence of mirrors also made people more aware of how they actually looked. Some may have been surprised when they looked in the mirror for the first time to study their appearance.

Perhaps the reflection they saw was slightly less flattering than the portrait that hung beside it. Artists aimed to recreate accurate representations of their sitters, but sometimes it was easier to flatter their client.

As people became more aware of their appearance and their behaviour in social situations, society began to develop an awkward self-consciousness that continues to the present day. The arrival of cameras in the 1800s meant that not only could people see what they really looked like, the image could be recorded as well.

In the twenty-first century, internet technology has only increased our awareness of images of ourselves. We can check our appearance constantly, record it, manipulate it and post it online for validation.

A lot has changed in the centuries since mirrors first became available. It’s interesting to see that we still harbour the awkward self-consciousness our ancestors must have felt when they gazed into their mirror for the first time.