The Blue Mirror
Once upon a time, my maternal grandmother had this beautiful blue mirror that hung above her living room fireplace all through the 60s and 70s. The color blue was always my favorite. So, as a little boy, not quite tall enough to touch the mirror, I’d stare at it for hours from the floor below, marveling at its steel blue luster. Occasionally, the afternoon sun would catch it and light up the whole room this deep yet somehow vibrant blue.
The mirror was circular in shape with a beveled edge a half-inch wide that ran around its entire circumference. The glass was three eighths to one half inch thick, and I’d guess the blue mirror to be two to two and a half feet in diameter. So it was quite heavy. In fact, it sported a steel cable on its back for hanging, not just a simple adhesive-backed hook. I got to see just how heavy it was because once, Gram took it down and allowed me to help her clean it. I carried it for her to the kitchen table, where we sprayed it, and then wiped it off while she instructed me on the most effective ways to clean glass. I remember thinking the first time I wiped, while peering through the streaks of glass cleaner that my towel made as it slid across the face, how truly wonderful that color was.
Unfortunately upon her death in 1980, Gram’s blue mirror disappeared, and I’ve often thought about it through the years. That would have been her one possession that I’d have gladly claimed for my own, as a memento. I’ve asked the family about the mirror, but no one knows where it went. I’d so love to find another like it and thus, would appreciate anyone’s help who knows about mirrors. Please respond here or write to me privately if you know where I could find such a relic, or have one made. I’d love to have that mirror’s likeness hanging once again above Gram’s fireplace.
Take care.
May 22nd, 2011 at 9:10 am
I found a blue mirror! My Gram (Mom’s mom) had a blue art deco mirror a lot like this one that I’d marvel at each time I’d visit while growing up. But upon Gram’s death in 1980, that cobalt mirror mysteriously disappeared. These are quite hard to come by, as they haven’t been manufactured since the 1930s so far as I can tell. In fact, I’ve looked for one like it for over a decade. Well, the search has finally panned out. So I think I’ll hang this one above the fire place, right where Gram displayed hers, for maximal visibility as well as sentimental effect.