A record of mirrors from prehistoric man through to cutting-edge humanity
A record of mirrors from prehistoric man through to cutting-edge humanity
Mirrors have been around for thousands of years, ever since stone age man first stopped to inspect his hair was still in position in a lagoon of water. Well, maybe not, after all it is true that the primitive mirrors were simply pools or bowls of still rainwater that may be used to wonder at ones mirror image in. You can almost envision the amusement of said caveman as he gazed upon themselves for the first time, a fascination that remains with the human race to this day. The earliest mirror located dates back to 6000 BC and was shaped from polished obsidian stone, a form of blackish glass formed in volcanic regions. Other initial forms of mirrors include gleaming copper, polished rock and glossy bronze as well as a number of varied alloys, all polished to a smooth and shiny surface and there are even evidence that rare metals were highly glossy and used as mirrors by the more wealthy members of civilization.
After all it wasn't untill the most recent 200 years or so that glass mirrors where protected with a metal mirrored surface began to blossom, with evidence that the Romans may have been the first to utilize lead strengthened glass mirrors and on occasion, gold leaf strengthened mirrors for the prosperous. Around 500AD the Chinese started to produce mirrors on a larger scale thanks to their approach of coating their glass with a silver-mercury mixture that gave a notable increase in the superiority of reflection. Nevertheless it wasn't until relatively not long ago in the 16th century that mirrors begun to become more affordable to the lower class, thanks to the uncovering of a tin-mercury composite that was cheaper to produce and gave a high quality appearance. Venice is widely credited with the discovery of this alloy, however the correct place and time is somewhat mysterious, and the mirrors produced in Venice where immensely high-priced taking into account their wares.
In recent times, especially the 19th century, silvered glass has grown into the standard for mirrors thanks to a procedure developed by a German chemist. His know-how allows a wispy coating of silver nitrate to be applied to the rear of a glass panel, this silver nitrate when exposed to chemicals transforms to leave behind a wispy highly reflective coating of silver on the rear of the glass. This capability soon became the standard in mirror fabrication and allowed mirrors to be mass-produced for the first time in history, significantly lowering the price and making them affordable to the mass public. In recent years, silver nitrate has been replaced by aluminium for price reasons, however the technique remains unchanged.
Now a days mirrors are seen as an commonplace part of life and are more everyday than they have ever been in history. Coming in an assortment of shapes and sizes and with a weird and wonderful selection of borders and stands for free sitting mirrors. So there you have it, if it wasn't for caveman's egotism many thousands of years ago we may not ever have had the opportunity to stare at upon our appearances in a mirror!
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