This pier-glass (mirror) may look as though it is made up of carved and gilded wooden sections. However, many of the swags are in fact made of papier-mâché, (literally meaning chewed or mashed paper) which have been formed in moulds with a metal wire armature to enable the lengths of ornament to be curved into shape.

The use of papier-mâché for picture frames can be traced in England to the later years of the 17th century but its use became more popular in the 18th century before eventually being industrialised in the 19th century. Much easier to use and cheaper than carving in wood, sculptors and carvers in the early years of the 18th century began to use papier-mâché to ornament chimney-pieces and mirror frames as well as interior architectural ornament, especially ceilings. The technique as used for ornamental purposes originated in France though moulded paper was commonly used in Persia, China and the East much earlier. The technique is known in France as papier moule, (moulded paper) and carton pierre.

In 1758, Robert Dossie published a manual of technical processes in 'Handmade to the Arts', in which he described two ways of making papier-mâché. One method uses pulped paper mixed with glue and gum arabic which is then pressed into greased wooden or plaster moulds. The second method, as used in this mirror, involved sheets of paper pasted one on top of each other using a thin paste of boiled flour and water which has been mixed with 'size' (glue). These layers are also built up in moulds. By 1763, several makers of papier-mâché were listed in London trade directories.

Unfortunately, the maker of this mirror is unknown but the neoclassical form and use of repeating ornament is similar to that extensively used by the architect Robert Adam. It was purchased by the Museum in 1926 at time it was seeking to acquire mirrors in the Adam style. It was considered that an example in papier-mache was significantly cheaper than a comparable one in carved wood. Nothing further is known of its history.