Judging by the historic record, we’ve been fascinated by our reflections for a long time. Some of the earliest human-made mirrors date to 6200 B. C. in Turkey. But even back then, mirrors were largely used to assess how beautiful we were. Egyptians paintings show the upper classes combing their hair and applying thick cosmetics in front of mirrors. Mirrors were associated from early on with vanity.
In the Renaissance, Italians began developing techniques for making flatter glass, and in 1507 hit upon a way of producing clear mirrors. This new technology was wonderful, but so expensive that nobles sometimes sold property just to afford one. In the 16th and 17th centuries, mirror making was so costly that it required the investment of half of France’s GDP. By the time the Renaissance was in full flower, wealthy noblemen could get large mirrors in which they could see their entire body at a glance. It was a transformative sight. The historian Ian Mortimer believes that mirror was central in developing the modern sense of the individual. As the novelist Louis-Sebastien Mercler noted in the1780s, wealthy young men would look “at four mirrors at once to see themselves”.
Many others thought nothing of all this self-regard. In the early years of America, “mirrors were considered, within American society, a kind of luxury that was somewhat shameful,” says Josiah McElheny, a Brooklyn-based artist who works with mirrors. Some countries imposed taxes on large mirrors. America’s mirror taxes were so high that if a furniture maker wished to create a full-body-sized reflection without going bankrupt, he had to assemble it from several smaller mirrors.
It wasn’t until the last decades of the 19th century that the industrial world could finally make big mirrors cheaply. Production exploded and mirrors quickly passed from luxurious products for the rich to everyday devices that were affordable among an emerging middle class. In 1897, Sears Roebuck advertised ten-inch-square mirrors for only 50 cents apiece and said: “No house is complete without a number of small mirrors which are handy in so many rooms.”
36. Which of the following statements is true of the mirrors in the Renaissance?
A.They were rather small in size. | B.They were unaffordable to most people. |
C.They were mostly manufactured in Italy. | D.They were no longer associated with vanity. |
37. According to Ian Mortimer, what change did mirrors bring about?
A.Humans started to think of themselves as an individual. |
B.More and more mirrors shops sprang up all over Europe. |
C.Novelists began to write about people’s love for mirrors. |
D.People cared about their appearance for the first time. |
38. In the early years of America, mirrors_____________.
A.brought their makers much profit | B.were regarded as something bringing embarrassment |
C.caused many furniture makers to go bankrupt | D.were mostly assembled from small pieces |
39. What is the passage mainly about?
A.The transformative sight of mirrors. | B.The varying enthusiasm for mirrors. |
C.The historic development of mirrors. | D.The change in people’s attitudes to mirrors. |