Label Type
Object LabelLabel
Pair of looking glasses, 1790-1810
New England, possibly Boston
pine, gesso, composition, gilt
John S. Locke collection, gift of the estate of Almira Locke McArthur
Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
Looking glasses were standard items in the homes of the well-to-do. According to family history, this pair was purchased by Daniel and Sarah Cleaves at the time of their marriage in 1795. There are four looking glasses listed in Daniel Cleaves 1818 probate inventory and valued collectively at $24.00, most likely including this pair and another pair that also descended through the family to the donor.
Imported throughout the 18th century, looking glasses were also produced in the region by 1800. Boston was the center of the domestic industry in New England and its products were available in places like Saco and Biddeford through the coastal trade.
Beyond checking one’s appearance, looking glasses served an important purpose. The mirrored glass reflected available light and brightened dark areas in rooms before the advent of gas and electricity. The gilding on the frames and decorative elements at the top of the looking glasses also gleamed in the lower levels of indoor lighting common in the period. The elements themselves – the urn and branches – were prominent in the neoclassical design vocabulary; the vertical nature and shallow moldings of this pair of looking glasses correspond to the design aesthetic of neoclassical or early Federal period decorative arts.