Victorian Beaded Wall Hanging
Antique Late 19th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Wall Mirrors
Glass, Wood
Antique 19th Century Victorian Decorative Art
Lava
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Gesso
Mid-19th Century Decorative Objects
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary German Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and ...
Brass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
2010s South African Minimalist Pedestals
Hardwood
1910s Wedding Dresses
Vintage 1950s British Victorian Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
Vintage 1970s Italian Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern End Tables
Wood
2010s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Stools
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Textile, Wood
1890s French Coats
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque More Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
Antique 1810s Decorative Art
Plaster, Giltwood
20th Century French Louis Philippe Wall Mirrors
Plaster, Wood, Glass, Mirror
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
1910s American Tea Gowns
Early 2000s French Cocktail Dresses
Recent Sales
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Gesso
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Gold Leaf
Antique Late 19th Century French Late Victorian Wall Mirrors
Glass, Giltwood
Antique Late 19th Century English Victorian Wall Mirrors
Wool
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Mahogany
Antique 19th Century English Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Gold
Finding the Right mirrors for You
The road from early innovations in reflective glass to the alluring antique and vintage mirrors in trendy modern interiors has been a long one but we’re reminded of the journey everywhere we look.
In many respects, wall mirrors, floor mirrors and full-length mirrors are to interior design what jeans are to dressing. Exceedingly versatile. Universally flattering. Unobtrusively elegant. And while all mirrors are not created equal, even in their most elaborate incarnation, they're still the heavy lifters of interior design, visually enlarging and illuminating any space.
We’ve come a great distance from the polished stone that served as mirrors in Central America thousands of years ago or the copper mirrors of Mesopotamia before that. Today’s coveted glass Venetian mirrors, which should be cleaned with a solution of white vinegar and water, were likely produced in Italy beginning in the 1500s, while antique mirrors originating during the 19th century can add the rustic farmhouse feel to your mudroom that you didn’t know you needed.
By the early 20th century, experiments with various alloys allowed for mirrors to be made inexpensively. The geometric shapes and beveled edges that characterize mirrors crafted in the Art Deco style of the 1920s can bring pizzazz to your entryway, while an ornate LaBarge mirror made in the Hollywood Regency style makes a statement in any bedroom. Friedman Brothers is a particularly popular manufacturer known for decorative round and rectangular framed mirrors designed in the Rococo, Louis XVI and other styles, including dramatic wall mirrors framed in gold faux bamboo that bear the hallmarks of Asian design.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, mid-century modernism continues to influence the design of contemporary mirrors. Today’s simple yet chic mantel mirror frames, for example, often neutral in color, owe to the understated mirror designs introduced in the postwar era.
Sculptor and furniture maker Paul Evans had been making collage-style cabinets since at least the late 1950s when he designed his Patchwork mirror — part of a series that yielded expressive works of combined brass, copper and pewter — for Directional Furniture during the mid-1960s. Several books celebrating Evans’s work were published beginning in the early 2000s, as his unconventional furniture has been enjoying a moment not unlike the resurgence that the Ultrafragola mirror is seeing. Designed by the Memphis Group’s Ettore Sottsass in 1970, the Ultrafragola mirror, in all its sensuous acrylic splendor, has become somewhat of a star thanks to much-lauded appearances in shelter magazines and on social media.
On 1stDibs, we have a broad selection of vintage and antique mirrors and tips on how to style your contemporary mirror too.