Magic Mirror 1333 x1000

 The Magic Mirror or         Wonderful Transformations 

 McLoughlin Brothers, New York

 circa 1860-1880

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UPS
4 oz to 1lb: From $4.75 to $8.55
1lb to 5 lbs:  $7.60 to $20.50

5lbs to 10 lbs: $20.50 to $31.45
10 lbs to 20 lbs:  $31.45 to $55.50

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4 oz to 1lb: From $4.75 to $8.55
1lb to 5 lbs:  $7.60 to $20.50

5lbs to 10 lbs: $20.50 to $31.45
10 lbs to 20 lbs:  $31.45 to $55.50

 

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Item Details:

THE MAGIC MIRROR OR WONDERFUL TRANSFORMATIONS

MCLOUGHLIN BROTHERS, NEW YORK

EARLY AMERICAN GAME, circa 1860-880

Chromolithographed Paper on Wood

Size: 7.75 x 10.75 in; 19.7 x 27.3 cm

As color printing technologies improved and became more affordable in the second half of the nineteenth century, many book publishers also began printing toys and games.  This is a gorgeous and artfully-rendered fantasy box cover (imagery reminiscent of Alice-in-Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass) by McLoughlin Brothers, pre-eminent publishers of Civil War era children's books, games, and paperdolls.  The Magic Mirror was a serious scientific optical toy exploring the visual resolution of anamorphic images into recognizable forms via a cylindrical mirror. Users placed a small, shiny optical toy atop distorted images to "magically" transform them into clear reflections of people or animals.

Provenance: Private collection, New York City from whom the current owner obtained the work

Creator: McLoughlin Brothers, New York

Creation Year: circa 1860-1880

Size: 7.75 x 10.75 in

Medium: Chromolithographed Paper on Wood

Movement/Style: Early American Optical Toy 

Period: Mid-Late 19th Century

Condition: Excellent