H70.142.30

• california gold rush

Mirror. Description: Small wall mirror. "Cottage" mirror with molded, arched-top, red-painted frame. From the History Information Station: Mirror in wooden frame. The kitchen door was the main entrance to the frontier house, so a mirror was hung nearby for people to fix their hair and check their hats when visiting or leaving. The mirror was more than utilitarian, however. In the 19th century mirrors expressed sophistication in home decoration. A mirror on the wall of a frontier house indicated that its' inhabitants were more refined than their rough surroundings suggested.