Description
In the American colonies during the early 18th century, those who wanted to buy looking glasses usually had to buy English imports, whose already high prices were increased substantially with the cost of shipping. The craftsmanship to make a mirror frame required great skill and expertise. Plate glass was very expensive and time consuming to manufacture and had a high frequency of breakage. For these reasons, mirrors were highly treasured, expensive possessions.
Later in the 1700s, however, new technologies for making plate glass helped lower the cost dramatically, and the colonial middle class clamored to purchase these stylish and newly affordable ways to reflect.
