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Chris -- 2018-04-11
A pier glass is a mirror that is place between two windows, upon the pier, or support column. There are sometimes pier tables below them. As a peer glass, it may be being construed as something to peer into or through. Or might it make reference to status?
forgiveness blog
A man who is insane views his world from behind his own prism, his peerglass on the world.
Online fiction
she whispered the secret whispers to her reflection in the antique mirror and in that mirror she saw curl hair upon a bed of yesteryear. There also in that peer-glass she saw limbs entwined like vines.
Online auction
Description: A Georgian style mahogany peer glass with bevelled plate
Proofreader hell
I corrected a lawyer’s spelling in a will. There were a lot of antiques being listed for distribution and one of them was an antique pier glass (a type of mirror). The lawyer had written “peer glass” and was absolutely furious at the correction. He accused me of being officious—and wrong, which is a far worse accusation to a proofreader—and made a scene. Secretaries were staring, messengers were giggling. It was intense. I pointed out that I was paid to make corrections, which made him angrier.
I wasn’t paid enough to worry too much, so we went with “peer glass.”
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Aside from antique dealers and interior designers I imagine most folk would assume a pier glass was a peer glass, and that it was simply a variant of looking-glass, which I think used to be used in preference to ‘mirrror’ until fairly recent times. A nice find.
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