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Harpy, depicted as a bird with a female face.

Harpy

Harpy, depicted as a bird with a female face.

How you see your reflection in a mirror.

Mirror

How you see your reflection in a mirror.

This part of the laryngoscope consists of a small mirror fixed to a long handle.

Laryngoscope

This part of the laryngoscope consists of a small mirror fixed to a long handle.

This part of the Laryngoscope consists of a large concave mirror with a small hold in the middle.

Laryngoscope

This part of the Laryngoscope consists of a large concave mirror with a small hold in the middle.

The Queen of brobdignag quickly becomes fond of Gulliver. She holds him in her hand showing him around the castle.

Queen looking in a mirror

The Queen of brobdignag quickly becomes fond of Gulliver. She holds him in her hand showing him around…

"The Jersey cattle has a small deer-like head, muzzle fine and dark and encircled by a light color, horns small, crumpled, and of amber color, chest broad and deep, back straight, tail fine, udder full in form, well up behind and running well forward, milk veins prominent, escutcheon or milk mirror high and broad and full on thighs." — S. G. Goodrich, 1885

Jersey Cattle

"The Jersey cattle has a small deer-like head, muzzle fine and dark and encircled by a light color,…

"The dining-hall, or room with seven doors. In the December number of the New York Mirror for 1834, is an interesting account of this old building, by Gulian C. Verplanck, Esq. He relates the following anecdote connected with this room, which he received from Colonel Nicholas Fish, father of the late governor of the State of New York. Just before La Fayette's death, himself and the American minister, with several of his countrymen, were invited to dine at the house of that distinguished Frenchman, Marbois, who was the French secretary of legation here during the Revolution. At the supper hour the company were shown into a room which contrasted quite oddly with the Parisian elegance of the other apartments where they had spent the evening. A low boarded, painted ceiling, with large beams, a single small, uncurtained window, with numerous small doors, as well as the general style of the whole, gave, at first, the idea of the kitchen, or largest room of a dutch or Belgian farm-house. On a long rough table was a repast, just as little in keeping with the refined kitchens of Paris as the room was with its architecture. It consisted of a large dish of meat, uncouth-looking pastry, and wine in decanters and bottles, accompanied by glasses and silver mugs, such as indicated other habits and tastes than those of modern Paris."—Lossing, 1851

Dining-Hall

"The dining-hall, or room with seven doors. In the December number of the New York Mirror for 1834,…

"In <em>optics</em>, a deviation in the rays of light when unequally refracted by a lens or reflected by a mirror, so that they do not converge and meet in a point or focus, but separate, forming an indistinct image of the object, or an indistinct image with prismatically colored edges."-Wright, 1902

Aberration

"In optics, a deviation in the rays of light when unequally refracted by a lens or reflected…

"An optical toy consisting of a vertical cylindrical mirror which gives a correct image of a distorted picture drawn at the base on a plane at right angles to axis of the mirror."-Whitney, 1902

Anamorphoscope

"An optical toy consisting of a vertical cylindrical mirror which gives a correct image of a distorted…

"A method of drawing which gives a distorted image of the object represented when it is viewed from directly or nearly so, but a natural image when it is viewed from a certain point, is reflected by a curved mirror, or is seen through a polyhedron."-Whitney, 1902

Anamorphosis

"A method of drawing which gives a distorted image of the object represented when it is viewed from…

Scene from the story, "The Animals and the Mirror."

Rooster and Mirror

Scene from the story, "The Animals and the Mirror."

Scene from the story, "The Animals and the Mirror."

Goat and Mirror

Scene from the story, "The Animals and the Mirror."

Scene from the story, "Mirror of Matsuyana."

Mirror of Matsuyana

Scene from the story, "Mirror of Matsuyana."

Scene from the story, "Mirror of Matsuyana."

Mirror of Matsuyana

Scene from the story, "Mirror of Matsuyana."

"Speculum, a mirror, a looking-glass. The looking-glasses of the ancients were usually made of metal, at first of a composition of tin and copper, but afterwards more frequently of silver. The ancients seem to have had glass mirrors also like ours, consisting of a glass plate covered at the back with a thin leaf of metal. They were manufactured as early as the time of Pliny at the celebrated glass-houses at Sidon, but they must have been inferior to those of metal, since they never came into general use, and are never mentioned by ancient writers among costly pieces of furniture, whereas metal mirrors frequently are. Looking-glasses were generally small, and such as could by carried in the hand. Instead of their being fixed so as to be hung against the wall or to stand upon the table or floor, they were generally held by female slaves before their mistresses when dressing. The general form of looking-glasses is shown in the following wood-cut." &mdash; Smith, 1873

Speculum

"Speculum, a mirror, a looking-glass. The looking-glasses of the ancients were usually made of metal,…

Reporter, known for working on the <em>Courant, Republican, Mirror,</em> and <em>Merchant's Ledger.</em>

Robert Bonner

Reporter, known for working on the Courant, Republican, Mirror, and Merchant's Ledger.

"The reflecting telescope has an objective a concave mirror, tecnically called a speculum. The images formed by the speculum are brought to the eyepiece in several different ways. Sometimes the eyepiece consists of a series of convex lenses placed in a horizontal tube." — Avery, 1895

Reflecting Telescope

"The reflecting telescope has an objective a concave mirror, tecnically called a speculum. The images…

Also known as trellis, diaper, and network. These names are applied to any design which is repeated in such a way as to form a lattice arrangement. It is more or less common in all classes of rugs, especially the Persians. A peculiar compact lattice pattern known as the "mirror design" is frequently found in the Hamadans.

Lattice Design

Also known as trellis, diaper, and network. These names are applied to any design which is repeated…

Actor and dramatist, born in New York City, June 9, 1792; died in Tunis, April 10, 1852. He was employed in a New York counting-house at an early age. While there, he edited the "Thespian Mirror."

John Howard Payne

Actor and dramatist, born in New York City, June 9, 1792; died in Tunis, April 10, 1852. He was employed…

A triangular prism.

Prism

A triangular prism.

A triangular prism on a stand.

Prism

A triangular prism on a stand.

"Bronze statuette (stand of mirror) wearing Chiton. From Athens." &mdash; Encyclopedia Britannica, 1893

Statuette

"Bronze statuette (stand of mirror) wearing Chiton. From Athens." — Encyclopedia Britannica, 1893

"Bronze Mirror: Maenad." &mdash Encyclopedia Britannica, 1893

Bronze Mirror

"Bronze Mirror: Maenad." &mdash Encyclopedia Britannica, 1893

"The coil is of flat, rectangular shape, with a narrow central opening just large enough to allow one of the magnets of the astatic system to swing freely. The other magnet swings over a graduated circle placed on the top of the coil, and serves also as an index. Sometimes a mirror and scale are substituted for the index and graduated circle. The sole on which the coil stands is movable on a fixed piece which can be levelled by means of three screws." &mdash Encyclopedia Britannica, 1893

Astatic Multiplier

"The coil is of flat, rectangular shape, with a narrow central opening just large enough to allow one…

"Mirror case illustrating storming of the Castle of Love, French, about 14th century, South Kensington museum." &mdash; The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1893

Ivory Carving

"Mirror case illustrating storming of the Castle of Love, French, about 14th century, South Kensington…

"It will be seen that the parabolic mirror a is at best but a very imperfect instrument, for even if the radiant were strictly a mathematical point, the cone of rays (shown undotted) escaping past the lips of the mirror must be lost." &mdash;The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Paraboloid

"It will be seen that the parabolic mirror a is at best but a very imperfect instrument, for even if…

"In order to produce, on the catoptric system, a fixed light showing all round the circle, a number of reflectors are fixed round the outside of a stationary chandelier n. As the ordinary paraboloid has about 14 degrees of divergence, twenty-five reflectors were needed to light up continuously (though not equally) the whole horizon." —The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Revolving Light

"In order to produce, on the catoptric system, a fixed light showing all round the circle, a number…

"If again the light was to revolve, then a revolving chandelier was employed having a certain number of flat faces, on each of which was fixed a number separate lamps and reflectors with their axes parallel to each other. When the chandelier revolved, and one of the flat sides was turned towards the sailor, he would, when at some distance from the shore, receive a flash at once form each of the mirrors which were on that face, but when the face was turned away from him a dark period would intervene until the next face came round again." —The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Revolving Light

"If again the light was to revolve, then a revolving chandelier was employed having a certain number…

"In order strictly to equalize a fixed light over the whole horizon, which could not possibly be done with separate reflectors, Marcet proposed this ingenious instrument, which is generated by the revolution of the parabolic profile pp' round its parameter as a vertical axis, instead of round a horizontal axis, as in all former reflectors." &mdash;The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Parabolic Profile

"In order strictly to equalize a fixed light over the whole horizon, which could not possibly be done…

"Catadioptric Fixed Light.—This apparatus, in which a central burner is used, consists of a dioptric cylindric refractor with zones of silvered mirror above and below similar in profile to Bordier Marcet's reflector. By the adoption of the refractor the whole of the wasteful divergence which occurs in Marcet's reflector is prevented. We have here a geometrically perfect combination, but it is not so physically, because metallic reflexion is used. This physical defect Fresnel obviated in his next design." —The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Catadiopteric Light

"Catadioptric Fixed Light.—This apparatus, in which a central burner is used, consists of a dioptric…

"Catadioptric Fixed Light.&mdash;This apparatus, in which a central burner is used, consists of a dioptric cylindric refractor with zones of silvered mirror above and below similar in profile to Bordier Marcet's reflector. By the adoption of the refractor the whole of the wasteful divergence which occurs in Marcet's reflector is prevented. We have here a geometrically perfect combination, but it is not so physically, because metallic reflexion is used. This physical defect Fresnel obviated in his next design." &mdash;The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Catadiopteric Light

"Catadioptric Fixed Light.—This apparatus, in which a central burner is used, consists of a dioptric…

"Catadioptric Holophote.—Part of the anterior hemisphere of rays is intercepted and at once parallelized by the lens L, whose principal focus (i.e., for parallel rays) is in the center of the flame, while the remainder is intercepted and made parallel by the paraboloid a, and thus the double agents in Fresnel's design are dispensed with. The rays of the posterior hemisphere are reflected by the spherical mirror b back again through the foxus, whence passing onwards one portion of them falls on the lens and the rest on the paraboloid, so as finally to emerge in union with and parallel to the front rays." —The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Catadioptric Holophote

"Catadioptric Holophote.—Part of the anterior hemisphere of rays is intercepted and at once parallelized…

"Catadioptric Holophote.&mdash;Part of the anterior hemisphere of rays is intercepted and at once parallelized by the lens L, whose principal focus (i.e., for parallel rays) is in the center of the flame, while the remainder is intercepted and made parallel by the paraboloid a, and thus the double agents in Fresnel's design are dispensed with. The rays of the posterior hemisphere are reflected by the spherical mirror b back again through the foxus, whence passing onwards one portion of them falls on the lens and the rest on the paraboloid, so as finally to emerge in union with and parallel to the front rays." &mdash;The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Catadioptric Holophote

"Catadioptric Holophote.—Part of the anterior hemisphere of rays is intercepted and at once parallelized…

"Perfect Form of Dioptric Holophote for an Oil Flame.—By combining the back prisms ga, hc just described with a semi-holophote abc subtending 180 degrees and a portion of the dioptric spherical mirror ijk, no light is lost on the burner, and all the rays are parallelized, so that this apparatus, being all of glass, is both geometrically and physically perfect." —The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Dioptric Holophote

"Perfect Form of Dioptric Holophote for an Oil Flame.—By combining the back prisms ga, hc just described…

"Condensing Quadrant.—The fixed apparatus bbb, with spherical mirror behind, throws its rays directly through the angle of 90 degrees afa', while the supplementary rays falling on the straight condensing prisms p, p, p', p' are sent out parallel to the corresponding rays in the unobstructed central quadrant of the main apparatus. The whole light will therefore be condensed equally over 90 degrees." —The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Condensing Quadrant

"Condensing Quadrant.—The fixed apparatus bbb, with spherical mirror behind, throws its rays directly…

"Condensing Octant.—The central fixed apparatus bb with spherical mirror dd throws its rays directly over the angle of 45 degrees pgp, while the supplemental rays fall upon the straight condensing prisms p, each of which spreads the incident rays parallel to the corresponding rays in the central angle pgp. In this way the whole of the front hemisphere of rays is parallelized in the vertical plane and spread equally over the 45 degree in azimuth." —The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Condensing Octant

"Condensing Octant.—The central fixed apparatus bb with spherical mirror dd throws its rays directly…

"Condensing Octant.—The central fixed apparatus bb with spherical mirror dd throws its rays directly over the angle of 45 degrees pgp, while the supplemental rays fall upon the straight condensing prisms p, each of which spreads the incident rays parallel to the corresponding rays in the central angle pgp. In this way the whole of the front hemisphere of rays is parallelized in the vertical plane and spread equally over the 45 degree in azimuth." —The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Condensing Octant

"Condensing Octant.—The central fixed apparatus bb with spherical mirror dd throws its rays directly…

"Plane mirrors M revolve on an endless chain placed outside of the apparatus and alter the direction of the flashes after they pass into the dark arc on the landward side so as to cause the lenses L, L to repeat their flashes over the seaward are which requires strengthening. The condensing spherical mirror and mirror of unequal areas will also be found applicable in cases where the flashes do not require to sweep over the whole horizon." —The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

Repeating Light

"Plane mirrors M revolve on an endless chain placed outside of the apparatus and alter the direction…

A bronze German mirror.

Mirror

A bronze German mirror.

"Thus, if a sunbeam, passing through a small aperure in the window shutter a, be permitted to fall upon the plane mirror, or looking glass, c, d, at right-angles, it will be reflected back at right-angles with the mirror, and therefore will pass back again in exactl the same direction in which it approached." -Comstock 1850

Reflection of Light

"Thus, if a sunbeam, passing through a small aperure in the window shutter a, be permitted to fall upon…

"Let a ray pass towards a mirror in the line a, c, it will be reflected off in the direction of c, d, making the angles 1 and 2 exactly equal." -Comstock 1850

Reflecion of Light

"Let a ray pass towards a mirror in the line a, c, it will be reflected off in the direction of c, d,…

"The ray a, c, is the ray of incidence, and that from c, to d, is the ray or reflection. The angles which a, c, make with the perpendicular line, and with the plane of the mirror, is exactly equal to those made by c, d, with the same perpendicular, and the same plane surface." -Comstock 1850

Reflection of Light

"The ray a, c, is the ray of incidence, and that from c, to d, is the ray or reflection. The angles…

"Suppose the mirror, a b, to be placed on the side of a room, and a lamp to be set in antoher room, but so situated as that its light would shine upon the glass. The lamp itself could not be seen by the eye placed at e, because the partition d is between them; but its image would be visible at e, beacuse the angle of the incident ray, coming from the light, and that of the reflected ray which reaches the eye, are equal." -Comstock 1850

Plane Mirror

"Suppose the mirror, a b, to be placed on the side of a room, and a lamp to be set in antoher room,…

"Suppose the arrow a to be the object reflected b the mirror d c; the incident rays a, flowing from the end of the arror being thrown back by reflection, will meet the eye in the same state of dicergence that they would do, if they proceded to the same distance behind the mirrr, that the eye is before it, as at o." -Comstock 1850

Plane Mirror

"Suppose the arrow a to be the object reflected b the mirror d c; the incident rays a, flowing from…

"This will be understood [here] where the ray of light A B, proceeding from the eye, falls perpendicularly on the plane mirror B D. will be reflected back in the same line; but the ray C D coming from the feet, which falls obliquely on the mirror, will be reflected back under the same angle in the line D A; and since we see objects in the direction of the reflected rays, and the image appears at the same distance behind the mirror that is object is before it, we must continue the line A D to the feet, E, and for the same reason, the rays A B, from the eye, must be prolonged to F, as far behind the mirror as the line E extends, where the whole image will be represented." -Comstock 1850

Mirror Half the Length of the Object

"This will be understood [here] where the ray of light A B, proceeding from the eye, falls perpendicularly…

"A convex mirror is a part of a sphere, or globe, reflecting from the outside." -Comstock 1850

Convex Mirror

"A convex mirror is a part of a sphere, or globe, reflecting from the outside." -Comstock 1850

"From the surface of a plane mirror, parallel rays are reflected parallel; but the convex mirror causes parallel rays falling on its surface to diverge, by reflection." -Comstock 1850

Divergent Rays

"From the surface of a plane mirror, parallel rays are reflected parallel; but the convex mirror causes…

"If the object a be placed obliquely before the convex mirror, then the converging rays from its two extremities falling obliquely on its surface, would they prolonged through the mirror, meet at the point c, behind it. But instead of being thus continued, they are thrown back by the mirror in less convergent lines, which meet the eye at e, it being, as we have seen, one of the properties of this mirror, to reflect converging rays less convergent than before." -Comstock 1850

Curved Image

"If the object a be placed obliquely before the convex mirror, then the converging rays from its two…

"Hence the image of the object, when reflected from the convex mirror, appears smaller than the object itself." -Comstock 1850

Object Diminished in Convex Mirror

"Hence the image of the object, when reflected from the convex mirror, appears smaller than the object…

"To explain this, let us suppose that the arrow a, is diminished by reflection from the convex surface, so that its image appearing a d, with the eye at c, shall seem as much smaller in proportion to the object, as d is less than a. Now keeping the eye at the same distance from the mirror, withdraw the object, so that it shall be equally distant with the eye, and the image will gradually diminish, as the arrow is removed." -Comstock 1850

Convex Mirror

"To explain this, let us suppose that the arrow a, is diminished by reflection from the convex surface,…

"...as the arrow is moved backwards, the angle at c, must be diminished, because the rays flowing from the extremities of the object fall a greater distance before the reach the surface of the mirror; and as the angles of the reflected rays bear a proportion to those of the incident ones, so the angle of vision will become less in proportion, as the object is withdrawn." -Comstock 1850

Convex Mirror

"...as the arrow is moved backwards, the angle at c, must be diminished, because the rays flowing from…

"Let us suppose that a, is a luminous point, from which a pencil of diverging rays falls upon a convex mirror. These rays, as already demonstrated, will be reflected more divergent, and consequently will meet the eye at e, in a wider state of dispersion that they fell upon the mirror at o." -Comstock 1850

Convex Mirror

"Let us suppose that a, is a luminous point, from which a pencil of diverging rays falls upon a convex…

"The incident rays, a and b, being parallel before they reach the reflectors, are thrown off at unequal angles in respect to each other, for b fallson the mirror more obliquely than a, and consequently is thrown off more obliquely in a contraty direction, therefore, then angles of reflection being equal to those of incidence, the two rays meet at c." -Comstock 1850

Plane Inclined Mirrors

"The incident rays, a and b, being parallel before they reach the reflectors, are thrown off at unequal…

"The focus of a concave mirror is the point where the rays are brought together by reflection." -Comstock 1850

Focus of a Concave Mirror

"The focus of a concave mirror is the point where the rays are brought together by reflection." -Comstock…

"...be made obvious...where the diverging rays 1, 2, 3, 4 form a focus at the point o, whereas, had they been parallel, their focus would have been at a." -Comstock 1850

Divergent Rays in a Concave Mirror

"...be made obvious...where the diverging rays 1, 2, 3, 4 form a focus at the point o, whereas, had…

"Thus, were the rays falling on the mirror parallel, the focus would be at a' but in consequence of their previous convergency, they are brought together at a less distance than the principal focus." -Comstock 1850

Convergent Rays in a Concave Mirror

"Thus, were the rays falling on the mirror parallel, the focus would be at a' but in consequence of…

"...let us suppose the object a, to be placed before the mirror, and nearer to it than the principal focus. Then the rays proceeding from the extremities of the object without interruption, would continue to diverge in the lines o and n, as seen behind the mirror' but by reflection they are made to diverge less than before, and consequently to make the angle under which the meet more obtuse at the eye b, than it would be if they continued onward to e, where they would have met without reflection. The result therefore, is to render the image h, upon the eye, as much larger than the object a, as the angle at the eye is more obtuse than the angle at e." -Comstock 1850

Object Within the Focus in a Concave Mirror

"...let us suppose the object a, to be placed before the mirror, and nearer to it than the principal…

"When the concave mirror is large, say six inches in diameter, and eight or ten inches focal distance, it exhibits the human face of enormous bulk, the spectator being frightened at the size and courseness of his own features." -Comstock 1850

Magnified Face in a Concave Mirror

"When the concave mirror is large, say six inches in diameter, and eight or ten inches focal distance,…

"...if the object is placed more remote from the mirror than the principal focus, and between the focus and the centre of the sphere of which the reflector is a part, then the image will appear inverted on the contrary side of the centre, and farter from the mirror than the object; thus, if a lamp be placed obliquely before a concave mirror, its image will be seem inverted in the air, on the contrary side of a perpendicular line through the centre of the mirror." -Comstock 1850

Object Beyond the Focus in a Concave Mirror

"...if the object is placed more remote from the mirror than the principal focus, and between the focus…

"Suppose the tumbler, a, to be filled with water, and placed beyond the principal focus of the concave mirror, and so managed as to be hid from eye c, by the screen b. The lamp by which the tumbler is illuminated must also be placed behind the screen, and near the tumbler, To a person placed at c, the tumbler with its contents will appear incerted at e, and suspended in the air." -Comstock 1850

Deception by Mirrors

"Suppose the tumbler, a, to be filled with water, and placed beyond the principal focus of the concave…