Japanese Mirrors

Abstract

A SHORT time ago a friend showed me a curious effect, which I had previously heard of, but had never seen. The ladies of Japan use, in making their toilet, a small round mirror about 1/12 to 1/8 inch in thickness, made of a Kind of speculum metal, brightly polished and coated with mercury. At the back there are usually various devices, Japanese or Chinese written characters, badges, &c., standing in strong relief, and brightly polished like the front surface. Now if the direct rays of the sun are allowed to fall upon the front of the mirror and are then reflected on to a screen, in a great many cases, though not in all, the figures at the back will appear to shine through the substance of the mirror as bright lines upon a moderately bright ground.