May 4, 2020
In November, 1946 LIFE Magazine photographer Yale Joel set up a booth with a two-way mirror in the lobby of the Lowes Criterion Theater in Times Square, where the film Dark Mirror was playing. Unbeknownst to the public, Joel was concealed for thirteen hours on the inside with his camera. What he captured was a parade of humanity primping, preening, and poking at their reflections. Nineteen of those photographs were published in LIFE on December 16, 1946. This unique online exhibition is the first presentation of this mischievous series, with original captions, in nearly 75 years.