Reflecting on the Surprisingly Long History of Mirrors

In his distinctively forthright manner, Lance Geiger of The History Guy reflects on the long history of mirrors, going very far back into ancient history, due to the very human desire to see oneself.

The market research firm reports and data estimated the Global mirror market size to be $122 billion dollars in 2021, reflecting the huge demand for mirrors in all manner of projects. The human desire to see themselves goes back to antiquity and continues unabated to the modern day.

He explains that mirrors, which were made from very rare and expensive materials from the beginning, were only available to the wealthy for centuries. However, with the advent of mass production, they became more affordable and available to everyone.

The average person looks at a mirror about once every half hour mirrors are downright cheap today and we take access to that perfect image for granted and apparently we’ve desired to see our image since earliest human history but you have to understand that for most of human history that intimate knowledge of your appearance was a rare thing a luxury that was only available to the rich.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.