Reflections on mirrors
By Submitted to Corner Post
Pity the caveman who had to trudge down to the primordial swamp to get a glimpse of himself in the water as he groomed and made sure his outfit looked just right, before going out on a date. If he was lucky, he might find a puddle of water in a dinosaur footprint closer to home, to catch his reflection there, instead. If he was really lucky, a carnivorous dinosaur wouldn’t be lurking nearby.
Have you ever wondered about how mirrors came about? It is universally believed that the earliest humans first realized that light from the sun, moon or a light bulb reflects off of objects and bounces at an opposite angle to the light that struck it. Seeing their reflections in pools of still water, they then surmised that the reflecting surface bounces the light image in a similar manner. Unfortunately, written records of that era were lost in a tragic fire. (On the bright side, the fire that destroyed the records provided the idea for cooking food, which led to the invention of barbeque grills and microwaves. But I digress.)
Later, it was found that images were also reflected by obsidian, a shiny, black volcanic rock. It wasn’t great, but high-quality reflections were not needed at the time because fashion had not been invented yet. Over time, however, a philosopher convinced people that reflected images were a portal for spirits — — both good and evil. He and his cousin started selling pieces of polished metal to consumers who wanted to connect with deceased loved ones. They sold another version they claimed frightened evil spirits who fled from their own reflections. Business was steady, but profits were just so-so. That all changed when the Roman Empire got into the market.
Mirror makers employed a marketing consultant and suddenly everybody who was anybody became concerned about their looks. By darkening the back side of a piece of glass, ancient entrepreneurs found that images were reflected a bit more clearly than before. Glass mirrors were soon a hot item. During the early 1300s, a Research & Development team in Venice switched from the charcoal-mud coating on the back of the glass to a thin coating of a mercury-tin mixture.
The secret process was very strictly guarded by Venetians to maintain their monopoly as makers of the world’s very best mirrors. But in 1665, 18 skilled mirrorsmiths moved to France and opened shop there. Ironically, not long afterward, France outlawed the importation of Venetian mirrors! The next major development came 170 years later when Justus Von Leibig (mean kids called him JV Lil’ Big, in grade school) invented a new process to affix a very thin layer of silver to the back side of a pane of glass, and then seal it with black paint and shellac.
Today’s basic mirrors follow essentially the same principle, though the process is improved and silver or aluminum are more commonly used. The most advanced mirrors (particularly for scientific use) are made by heating aluminum, chromium or gold in a vacuum until it “flashes” onto a lens.
Ever wonder if the mirror in a dressing room is real or a two-way mirror? You probably didn’t but you will now. Put your fingernail against the glass. If the mirror is real, you’ll see a space between your fingernail and the reflection. No space? Smile and wave.
