Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1876 — Care of Looking-Glasses. [ARTICLE]

Care of Looking-Glasses.

Perhaps some readers have wondered why looking-glasses sometimes get so dull and dim that no washing or rubbing will make them clear. The dimness is caused by heat. A looking-glass or mirror, subjected to the sunshine several hours a day, or to the hot air from a furnace, register or stove, or to the heat of a gaslight or kerosene lamp, will soon become ruined. At first some portion of the glass looks dim and misty, then more cloudy, and, finally, spotted or speckled with black; for the heat has caused the coating of quicksilver to expand and loosen its hold upon the back of the glass, till, after a time, particles fall entirely away, and the glass,once beautified by fair reflections, is rendered unsightly ana unattractive forever. << Oil paintings are often seriously injured by the same cause. Much of the blame laid upon the careless mixing of colors—especially those used by modern artists—rightly belongs to those who hang the pictures. Care is taken to place them “in good light,” still greater pains should be taken to secure them from heat. If, during some portion of the day, the sun shines directly upon these paintings, or heat rises constantly toward them from stove or furnace, the canvas gradually takes on a dull appearance, and soon presents an array of cracks that fills us with dismay; if they are not speedily removed to a more favorable position, portions of the outer coat may peel off, and the ruin is complete.— Exchange.