Send an ecard of this image

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ...

Today is Compliment-Your-Mirror Day! If you smile at the mirrors you meet today, perhaps they will return the favor.

A looking glass figures prominently in this work from our traveling exhibition American Impressionism: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

In Robert Reid's painting, the sinuous lines of the woman's neck, shoulders, and elegant gown reflect the curvilinear grace of the crane in flight on the Japanese screen. The round mirror that serves as the focal point of this composition is a symbol of vanity and the transience of earthly beauty, lending this work a contemplative aura.

American Impressionism is currently on view at the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, South Carolina.

Source: Joann Moser. American Impressionism: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (exhibition text, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1999).

Pictured: Robert Reid, 1862–1929, The Mirror, about 1910, oil, 37 3/8 x 30 3/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans.