Edwardian Glass Mirrors,Edwardian Era Glass Mirrors

Edwardian is often associated with the elite, however the era also brought about a considerable amount of change in the life of the not so fortunate. The developments in the path of technology made many a things affordable to the non elites which otherwise was a luxury available only to the rich.

The reign of King Edward VII in the 1900s is usually referred to as the Edwardian era. The new monarch brought about a revolution in the field of art and fashion. Open to fresh and new ideas for almost everything this era saw the advent of the sophisticated simple yet elite lifestyle.

Glass factories started off in the 10th and 11th century near quarries of silica. It was a new discovery and one that was going to meet with a huge popularity in the near future. Stained glass emerged soon after the discovery of glass. Metallic oxides were added to molten glass to provide them with unique colours.

The various types of popular glasses include cylinder glass or mufti, crown glass, rolled glass, and flashed glass. Various types of methods have been used at different times to make glass. In the Edwardian era sandblasting started being used to make stained glass. Stained glass refers to coloured glasses being used since ages in the construction of churches and other equally important buildings.

Colourful glasses soon achieved a huge popularity and became an addition to every important building in UK. They were extensively used in windows of churches and other important buildings. Special features of the Edwardian stained glass include brighter shades of light pastels. Complex designs were waved a goodbye and simple yet catchy designs saw the daylight in this phase.

Bolder figures of human beings and organic natural elements started being painted on these glasses. Finer details like face and hair were painted on the inner glass surface using a special type of glass paint. In the early Edwardian era these finer details became much more elaborate than it used to be in the past.

Plate glass mirrors also started being extensively used for decorating drawing rooms and bedrooms. With the fall in the prices of the mirror it saw wide acceptance across the United Kingdom. Huge mirrors started decorating the mantelpieces above fireplaces of most of the houses in the UK. Thus mirrors no more remained the privilege of the rich alone.