When you pass a mirror, do you deliberately walk on by, or do you make a point to look into it?
The Evil Queen in the tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” stared with vengeful intent into a mirror and chanted, “Mirror, mirror on the wall/Who is the fairest of them all?”
Image: Wikipedia Commons
Mirrors, which can either reflect and distort, have been a valuable image for both writers and painters, like Norman Rockwell, for instance.
Painter Norman Rockwell captured the culture of mid-twentieth century America, noting passages in a girl’s life.
The pretty, brown-haired girl staring into the mirror with furrowed brow, appears to be analyzing her appearance.
According to Rute Ferreira in Daily Art Magazine,
The girl looks apprehensively at the mirror. On her lap we see an opened magazine showing a photo of the actress Jane Russell, who alongside the diva Marilyn Monroe, starred in the fun movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. At her feet, the girl has a comb, a brush and a lipstick (red, of course!) While in the corner of the mirror, we see a forgotten doll discarded without much care.
What is she thinking? Maybe this, “Is it time to grow up? Or, “Am I attractive enough?”
However, the author says otherwise:
The model, Mary Whalen Leonard, [probably a neighbor] says that despite the way the painting was understood, she was just enjoying herself. She was not comparing herself to the movie stars or leaving her dolls aside for dreams fueled by red lipsticks.
Perhaps as muse, Mary responded to the artist’s coaching, resting her innocent adolescent face upon her fists, simply following instructions.
* * *
The young woman in another Rockwell work, The Prom, is older, imagining in the painting being all decked out in a dress she will probably wear only once. This model, caught Rockwell’s eye, telling a different narrative. According to writer David LaBelle, author of The Story of Rockwell’s Forgotten Model, Cathy Smith was selected from hundreds of junior high students in West Hollywood, California.
Norman Rockwell, Prom Dress, cover illustration for the Saturday Evening Post, March 19, 1949; with Cathy Smith Burow, model.
Cathy Smith was a 14-year-old junior high school student living in West Hollywood in the fall of 1948 when the famous illustrator—who was working in Los Angeles to escape the snowy, cold Vermont winter—approached her at school and asked if she would model for a Post cover.
There’s lots more to this story, which may raise some eyebrows with 21st century readers. You can find it here.
Now 86, but looking decades younger, Cathy Burow—her married name—laughs about her fleeting fame. “At the time, I thought it was a big thing. Most people knew of him [Rockwell] then. Most of my life I’ve been a little bit famous. In 1949, I had my 15 minutes of fame.” Burow says most of her friends have passed, and she doubts younger people know or care about Norman Rockwell or The Saturday Evening Post.
* * *
A Granddaughter and a Mirror
At age 11, I asked my one and only grand-daughter Jenna to pose with a lavender-framed mirror, celebrating the beginning of 2016, and my choice of focus word for the year. If you are curious, here is the link!
A few years later, friend Sandra Cornelius gifted me with a mirror, this one with words painted on its pink frame, “You are beautiful!”
My friend Sandra Cornelius gave this to me on my birthday. Here is the story in her own words:
Sandra and Larry Cornelius
I had breast cancer for the third time, every 13 years beginning in my late thirties. The first time, in 1983, I went into a nationwide study and was chosen for breast conservation surgery. I had a partial mastectomy followed by radiation. In 1996 the study was complete and the parameters of my cancer qualified me for the same treatment I had before, but this time in the other breast. When I was diagnosed with cancer the third time in 2008, I knew I needed to have a bi-lateral mastectomy. As surgery day approached, I was feeling a little sorrowful that breast conservation was no longer an option for me.
Our friends, Carolyn & John, suggested we take a day at Fernandina Beach together before the surgery. We had taken a day in Daytona together before my first surgery. We walked the streets of the old town together. Shops were closed since it was Sunday morning, but one window caught my eye. It was the year of the “Save the Tatas” slogan. That had been my slogan up until now. There was a window display of pink t-shirts, hats, etc., displaying “Save the Tatas.” I paused and said, “Sorry, no more for me. I’ll be saying goodbye to my tatas this week.” I was confident the Lord had led me to choose the bi-lateral surgery, and I was trusting Him. We walked to a restaurant and ordered lunch. I was still feeling sad but was having a great time and enjoying meaningful conversation with our very best friends. I excused myself and a waiter directed me to the restroom and that’s where it happened.
The entrance to the restroom hallway had a brightly colored beaded doorway. I smiled at all the bright colors and pushed through all the strands of beads where there were more colors decorating the area. I was somewhat relieved to see there was an actual door to the ladies’ restroom. When I opened the door, I thought I could have been transported to Key West! The walls were decorated with tropical trees and flowers and birds, one of which was a very large parrot near the mirror. The toilet was sitting on a raised platform in one corner of the room like a throne. I laughed and proceeded to take care of business. When I sat down, I saw it. Facing me on the opposite wall in large brightly painted colors on the large mirror, “HEY BEAUTIFUL.”
In that moment, looking at my reflection in the mirror, God reminded me of the essence of real beauty. Not outward but inward beauty, the kind He develops within and desires. I said to myself, “Hey Beautiful. Thank you, Lord.” The sorrow evaporated as God reminded me of what He sees as beautiful.
Later, I picked up a variety of sticky letters and put “Hey Beautiful” on every mirror in my home to remind me of God’s perspective and faithfulness. That’s how the small gift hand mirrors came to be. I gave them to friends for years, a small token.
It’s been thirteen years again. I age and outward beauty continues to fade. But when I pull out my hand mirror, I’m reminded once again and fill with gratitude for the blessing of years. So, friend, see yourself as God sees you. Hey Beautiful!
1 Corinthians 13:12
A special mirror in your memory? A story about one?
Good morning, Marian! A wonderful post. You know I’m fascinated by reflections–and I think I always have been. I love seeing the infinite number of reflections one can sometimes see if mirrors are positioned correctly. So, I do tend to look in every reflecting surface, but not necessarily to see myself. 😀 I’m glad your friend is OK, and what a lovely gift she gave herself and you.
As for the Post covers, I believe they are the artist’s work, no matter what the models were thinking.
Merril, I know you absolutely love reflections, evidenced on your blog and in your photography and in your poetry. I agree with you that Rockwell’s POST covesr are indeed the artist’s works, but since I like research, I enjoy delving into other points of view. As always, thanks for your reflection here, again starting off the conversation. 🙂
You’re welcome, Marian, and it was interesting to see what the models thought, too.
Thanks for this, Marian.In the stairwell of my childhood home was a mirror that bore the inscription “Better to smile and have a dimple than frown and have a wrinkle.” I’m still working on smiling 🙂
I have loved the quiet testimony of your parents, reflected in this mirror inscription. I’ve heard that sometimes smiling when you don’t feel like it, helps the real emotion emerge. It’s good to see you here, Nelson. Do visit again! 🙂
I greatly enjoyed this post, including the article about Cathy Smith. I tend to be disconcerted looking in mirrors now because it’s my mother’s face looking back at me.
I know the feeling, Liz. Although I imagine your mother was very attractive, I think you are referring to the aging process. I too see my mother’s face looking back at me these days, and sometimes even flickers of my grandmother’s too. 🙂
My mother was very attractive. Yes, I’m talking about the aging process. It is confounding.
Indeed! ((( )))
A great post, always wonderful to read the behind the scenes stories. I always take a quick look in the mirror before leaving the house, just to make sure everything is in place and looks OK. Sometimes its a mad dash to change! LOL
Thanks for the chuckles, Darlene. I imagine many readers can relate to your quick look into the mirror. I know for sure I can. 🙂
Marian — I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. Plus, it was interesting to get a peek at some of the behind-the-scenes stories.
In our itty-bitty carriage house we have one mirror, the one in the bathroom. About the only time I get a good look at myself is when I brush and floss my teeth.
I know you enjoy behind-the-scenes vignettes as I notice them in your suspense writing. I indulge myself in the research because it feeds my curiosity.
Sometimes I look in the closet-door mirror and astonish myself. I haven’t YET combed my hair. I wonder if you know the feeling although a short “cut” has its advantages – ha!
I enjoyed following your tracks through the links here, Marian. When I was a teenager, we subscribed, at different times, to Boys’ Life, The Saturday Evening Post, Life, and Look. These joined Readers’ Digest and The Gospel Herald. (the schools put on subscription drives every year, and we usually got one or two magazines). I loved the magazines and would pour over the Norman Rockwell illustrations, searching out all the details that told a story. You’ve done the same thing with this post, offering us lots of little reflections to think about. Oh, and the latest detail added to our new home? You guessed it, a full-length mirror. 🙂
Thank you, Shirley, I feel a measure of contentment in you, having arrived “home” again after a trying year and the upheaval of a move. I’m glad this post helped you reminisce about the magazines you remember from childhood, similar to mine.
Our closet doors are mirrored, so no need for another one at our house. I hope your Murphy bed and other items on order will arrive soon. 🙂
Excellent connecting theme, Marian! I think it’s human nature to quickly examine ourselves in a mirror. We are also our own worst critics. Wouldn’t it be nice if people examined their interiors as closely as they did their faces?
Yes, it’s only human–to look in the mirror and, I guess, to see the negative more so than the positive. You ask a probing question, Pete. I need to make sure my inside/outside align.Thanks for the admonition, Pete! 🙂
HI Marian, this is a really lovely post. I love the two paintings and the story you shared about your mirror is wonderful and uplifting.
I know you like story and art. And, like me, you also like stories that express artful thoughts. I’m glad you enjoyed these. Thanks for reading and commenting here, Robbie!
Beautiful post, Marian. We all need that reminder!
Beautiful YOU! Yes, such a true thought chases out the ugly. Thanks, Jenn!
Such a lovely post Marian! Cathy is very lovely at 86 and Sandra’s story is so inspirational. I felt as if I was with her in her trip to the ladies restroom and what could be more apposite than sitting on the throne and seeing that particular message. Likewise your two biblical quotes. I also much enjoyed the detail of the Rothwell paintings and the delightful photograph of Jenna. No, no special mirror I can think of, though there is one in the fiction WIP I’m busy with right now ..
I’m glad you enjoyed all aspects of the post. But now you have me VERY curious about the mirror you are currently writing about. Will we hear more about the story before it is published, Susan. (My nose is twitching!) 🙂
Oh, I love your post and the comments are delicious. Pete puts it succinctly – if only we were more concerned with looking at our INSIDES rather than our outside. I’ve never been a “look in the mirror” person, although darn, as I think about it, that’s the last page in my latest book – a poem called Looking in the Mirror! But that poem stresses how we look beyond the aging and instead look within as we “reflect” on all the love in our life.
But back to Normal Rockwell. I feel that the more we look at his illustrations/paintings over time, the more we see his brilliance. Oh, and I got tears as I read Sandra’s story. So inspiring.
P.S. Your granddaughter is a sweetie – have you taken a picture of her looking in the mirror now, in 2021? I’m watching my 12-year-old granddaughter watching herself in the mirror, changes seemingly occurring day by day.
As soon as I read your comment, I went to the kitchen and grabbed your book with the poem “Looking in the Mirror.” One of my favorite lines: “time/wears away the pretty, but/adds the love–”
You can buy Pam’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Life-Tales-Extraordinary-Ordinary/dp/1734573058/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Flashes+of+Life&qid=1624479317&s=books&sr=1-1
Thanks too for the prompt to document Jenna looking in the mirror at age 16. Great idea. I’ll have to try to find just the right angle. I appreciate all this, Pam! :=)
Well, you just gave me goosebumps. Feels so good to know that my book is so close at hand for you. Thanks for the plug, my friend. And yes, I think I’ll try the “mirror photo” with my granddaughter now, and then when she’s 16… When I was 12 I felt so ugly and awkward. My aunt, who was a p.r. writer for a large NY firm – way ahead of her time – somehow knew that about me even though we lived hours away and sent me a photo of Jean Shrimpton (how do I remember that? – a beautiful model at the time) and a poem my aunt wrote about how I would grow/mature into a beautiful woman. I kept that poem in my dresser drawer for so many years!
Your aunt gave you the grandest gift of all: a bridge to good self-esteem with a picture and a poem. I remember Jean Shrimpton from the 1960s but couldn’t conjure up an image, so here you go: https://iconicimages.net/photo/js019-jean-shrimpton/
And your aunt was RIGHT about your amazing metamorphosis. I think you are onto something with two photos of your grand-daughter. Thanks for the followup here, Pam! 🙂
YUP, that’s her! I never posed like that though, that’s for sure. 🙂 But I did get the long hair and wore mini-dresses til college – then ferrgitabout it. 🙂 But yes, we aunts/grandmothers are valuable assets in helping the self-esteem of our sweeties.
🙂
What a beautiful story about inward beauty! Thanks for sharing this, Marian.
Yes, Eflrieda, it’s hard to measure inner beauty but we can sense it when it’s there. Thanks for noticing–and for commenting once again. 🙂
Love the Norman Rockwell paintings — the first one reminded me of my oldest daughter’s choice of dress for her first prom. It was white … and beautiful and of course it made me think of weddings in the future–which came about eventually. Thanks for this reminder of all the years of proms and beautiful gowns and recitals and then yes, some weddings! That’s where my head went!
So your head went to prom gowns and weddings. That’s a good thing because June is abuzz with weddings. I believe you and Stuart celebrated yours earlier this month.
Thanks, Melodie, for checking in today. 🙂
I loved Cathy’s courageous story, and all about the mirror. And wow, she looks fabulous! <3
I’m glad you enjoyed my research-y story. And Cathy looks decades younger. Right?
Thanks for stopping by during this busy, busy time. I hope this nostalgic post gave you a break from the arduous task you’re in now. You’re getting there — yay! ((( )))
Very interesting to read the Norman Rockwell story. Different times!
We were given a mirror with our initials etched into it as a wedding gift. A cherished gift.
Glad you enjoyed this, Arlene. What a lovely gift! 🎁
I’ve never thought about mirrors. Isn’t that something to admit? I’ve seen the Rockwell paintings of course. The Proverbs 27:19 quote is kind of my take on mirrors. We have them in the house for decoration and to reflect natural light, but not so much to look into… if that makes sense.
I like that you mentioned mirrors reflecting light, cheering up the house. We have a mirror in the hallway and another in the dining room. Now you have me thinking about how they help a space to shine. Thanks, always, Ally! : -)
Hey Beautiful! What a lovely story! Your friend, Anita
Sandra proves that inner beauty is enduring even if outer beauty changes. It’s so good to hear from you, Anita. Thanks for tuning in!
A powerful story, Marian. Thanks for sharing. What a fabulous gift from your friend. Mirrors are such interesting items. I often think about the reaction of indigenous peoples when they first saw a mirror and spotted themselves in it. That must have been bizarre, funny, and eye popping!
I don’t care about mirrors. I pass by them without noticing and I often realize that it’s been a while since I looked in a mirror. I get ready in the morning on automatic pilot and don’t need a mirror to comb my short hair or brush my teeth. Once in a while, I go “oh yeah,” when I see our bathroom mirror. The only time I consciously look in a mirror is when I have a zit on my face…
Well, Liesbet, you covered the bases from I – Z: Indigenous through Zit. That’s quite a span. Like you, I don’t need a mirror very much except to see that my hair got bunched up on one side, which happens depending on how I sleep.
Good to hear from you, my friend. You know your name and Mark’s are on my prayer card. Sending hugs! 🙂
A lovely and touching post, Marian. As a teen I always been one to avoid mirrors, but have learned that self-love is being able to see one’s reflection and love what I see, despite the wrinkles and saggy parts. s
Thanks for reminding us of self-love, Joan. It’s sometimes a struggle for me, looking in the mirror. I believe we are in the same age range too!
One positive thing I see in pop culture is older people, especially women actors appearing in movies. One example is a film I haven’t yet seen, Queen Bees. Ten or fifteen years ago an actress over 45, say, was unheard of. That’s a change for the better. Yes?
This is a beautiful story, Marian. I am glad you have such wonderful family and friends.
Don’t I know it, Barbara, I am blessed!
Sandra is a shining example of triumphing in adversity. She is just as she seems: humble and creative. I’m glad you enjoyed this. 🙂
Wow…such a beautiful post , Marian and what a beauty Cathy is…I live in a house of mirrors…Thais love mirrors I can see four from where I am sitting they build them in the houses and they are not small either so I can’t escape a mirror here and so much cleaning too is when when I cuss them…the sunshine shows up all the specks of dust…sigh
Well, you are rounding out my understanding of Thai culture. I wonder why the fixation on mirrors. Maybe because they reflect light, a good thing. I hope you will concentrate on the sunshine and not the specks of dust–ha! I try to ignore dust and I have few mirrors in my house.
Thanks, Carol, for tuning in here and adding to the conversation. 🙂