Vanity with mirror c. 1929 - 1932

Norman Bel Geddes crafted this vanity with mirror, a piece now residing at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, embodying the spirit of its time. The mirror, a potent symbol, has been employed since antiquity, not merely for reflection, but as a portal—a gateway to self-awareness, and sometimes, darker truths. Consider how, in the Renaissance, mirrors often appeared in vanitas paintings, emblems of mortality and the fleeting nature of beauty, reminding viewers of life's ephemerality. This idea echoes through time, even as the style shifts to the streamlined aesthetic of Art Deco. Bel Geddes's mirror, framed by the machine-age geometry, still carries that primal association with self-contemplation. The smooth, reflective surface invites us to gaze, not only at our physical selves but into the depths of our psyches. The vanity becomes a stage for the theater of the self, reflecting our aspirations, anxieties, and the ever-present awareness of time's passage. A reminder that beauty, like all else, is transient, yet endlessly compelling.