I’ve always liked old mirrors. Over time the silvered surface on the backside of the glass begins to fade, bubble, crumble, and blacken leaving the mirror functionless, but beautiful. The pictures here are of a recent acquisition: a large, ornate framed mirror from the 1840s. The mirror itself has the most incredible surface I’ve ever seen. There’s barely any clarity in the reflection, but I can’t think of anything I’d rather have mounted in a frame.
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Have you been to Versailles in France? The Hall of Mirrors there is amazing!
Nice! I have to confess every time I watch a Harry Potter movie I drool over the faux old mirrors they put in almost every set. Somebody on their team has that look down!
i always zero in on patterns like those on your mirror……it would make a beautiful print on paper or inspiration for a fabric motif.
Does anyone know if the silvering on the back of antique mirrors is safe to have around kids? What is it made of?
That’s a good question, Diana. Most mirrors produced after the early 1800s were silvered with silver nitrate– not mercury. Nineteenth century mirrors generally shouldn’t pose an environmental hazard, but it’s probably a good idea to have an old mirror tested if you’re concerned.
I HAVE A VERY OLD MIRROR THAT WAS USED FOR ADVERTIEMENT FOR FARMERS INSURANCE .IT IS OVER 100 YEARS OLD. WERE CAN I FIND OUT THE VALUE???
Today we took the wooden backing off an old mirror in order to replace the glass. The old coating was chipping of and several flakes of it ended up on the kitchen counter. We took the mirror to the glass shop and had the glass replaced, but when we returned home, we noticed that the reflective flakes had disappeared and little round silver balls had taken their place. There is no question that this is metallic mercury! I too played with it as a kid, but now as an environmental geologist realize that the stuff is a significant hazzard!
So: You may think that those old craze patterns are beautious, but be very wary. Clearly the metalic coating can easily revert to metallic mercury.
does anyone remember the mirrors that you put the shaped board up then place the pieces of glass if so how old do you think it would be
i have a large mirror you have to put the board up first then put the pieces of glass in it .Its very unusual does anyone know the type i mean if so how old do you think may be
i have one six foot by five not any thing wrong with it love to sell
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