| Show few american mirrors made in century the best work was imported save for a few crude examples s some ome of them homemade home made there is little indication that mirrors were made in america to any extent before the second half of the eighteenth century writes richmond huntley in aal american rican collector even then though the silvering process might be done here and probably was the glass itself was imported although american glass houses were early on the scene they made neither the plate glass nor the thin clear mirror glass of a later day after the revolution much french glass was imported and when in 1812 the unpopular embargo laws interfered john doggett of roxbury mass gallantly stepped into the breach for his section of the country and quick silvered native window glass but back to the seventeenth century colonist and his large looking glasses just over in the trail frail boats of less than tons burden these same boats had from the beginning brought artisans and craftsmen of all sorts many of the cabinetmakers were versatile men able and willing to do anything tor for their patrons from taking down and setting up beds making and repairing furniture to fashioning ibe coffins for their last journey one is not surprised to find men among them who knew how to mirrors C copper op wheel cut a design with diamond dust or make an and d carve a frame looking glasses of a all 11 sorts read an advertisement in the boston news letter april 25 1715 old glasses new silvered done and sold by william rundle at the sign of the Ca cabinet binett a looking glass class shop in queen street F urther further mirror styles had changed the glass was still cast in one piece of limited size but instead of the slightly slight Y rectangular picture frame effect of previous i ous years long frames w with ith two gla glasses ases one above the other were in vogue they were often ela elaborately corately bora tely carved carved as to frame with a double cyma curve at the top the upper glass was usually decorated with an engraved design inaccurately termed diamond cut 1 such a mirror was a superior and much coveted wall decor decoration a tion I 1 in n addition to to importing them it became the fasl fashion ii on to r remodel model C the old ones As the century wore vore on there were undoubtedly men in america capane capable of making just as fine mirrors from silvering ing and cutting the glass to carving and gilding the frames as any imported i from england or the continent but the general public the then n as now considered an expert some one from out of town consequently those who could afford to still looked across the ocean for the newest and neatest fashion in mirrors As late as 1767 the following wail of protest appeared in the boston news letter as part of an advertisement said whiting does more at present towards ma manufacturing n looking glasses than any one in the province or perhaps on the continent an and d would be glad of enco encouragement ura gement enough to think it worth while to live |
