Compared to the mirror we shared yesterday—a theatrically romantic Chinese confection—today's mirror, shown above, is straightforward, sensible, and perhaps just a touch stern. It is handsome without being dour. It was made in the U.S. between 1840 and 1860, just before the American Civil War. Mahogany veneering is laid over the curved "ogee" surface of the underlying wood framing. There are a few minor splits and discreet dings to the veneering—though only enough to lend suitable character to the 175 year old mirror frame.
Mahogany was the wood of choice for American furniture in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Much of it was grown in The New World—often in semi-tropical British colonial possessions. When the British ended their tariff on imported woods in 1733, the material became more affordable for Americans—and its use in furniture making took off. By the second half of the Nineteenth Century, however, due to over-harvesting, the New World Mahogany supply dwindled. African mahogany replaced a portion of those imports but, generally speaking, mahogany had become too expensive for widespread use.
Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome mirror.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.