Light Reflections

Thoughts provoked by Frankenstein and On Beauty

Egyptian Mirror

These polished bronze mirrors were used to reflect the face. They were made of molten bronze or copper. They were round, oval, square and most of the time they had a handle. If any rust developed it was easily polished new. Later in ancient Rome mirrors were made of tin, silver and even gold.

http://www.mirrorresilvering.com/a_brief_history_of_mirrors.htm
When light falls on a body some of the light may be reflected, some absorbed, and some transmitted through the body. In order for a smooth surface to act as a mirror, it must reflect as much of the light as possible and must transmit and absorb as little as possible

The history of mirrors dates back to ancient times when mankind first saw reflections in a pond or river and considered it magic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror
The first mirrors used by people were most likely pools of dark, still water, or water collected in a primitive vessel of some sort. The earliest manufactured mirrors were pieces of polished stone such as obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass. Examples of obsidian mirrors found in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) have been dated to around 6000 BC

http://www.invitinghome.com/Mirrors/mirrors_history.htm
Mirrors were made from highly polished bronze and silver. The first glass mirrors were invented in I Century by Romans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_of_Mirrors
Hall of Mirrors in Versaille

Most expensive mirror in the world: Chromed out Mercedes SLR

Top Ten Mirrors in Literature
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/oct/30/john-mullan-mirrors-literature-review