Pennsylvania Railroad Mirror

I have one just like that.  Mine is 34 inches wide and 24 inches high, measured to the outside of the dark wooden frame.  I bought it in 1976.

What is the significance of 1874?  Was that when they made the connection to Chicago?  I would say 1970s also.  Something about the "olde tyme" look doesn't ring true to any earlier.

Does anyone know the significance of why 1874 would be on the mirror?  Was this made by or for the Penn Central, possibly in 1974?

It definitely looks like a 1970s piece, since commemorative mirrors were popular then, and it has that "olde tyme" look to it that they never would use in the old times  

PRR standardized their dress codes and rules books in 1874, no rules from acquired companies would apply after. Altoona grew a lot that year. PRR also underwent many changes in how it was doing its big business relations, it was also under federal investigation(was looking good for PRR) and was poising itself in the stock market for successes, and doing it right. I think the mirror just points to an active and successful year of growth that help define where the "old" PRR was and where the "new improved" PRR was going. 

PRR President John Edgar Thomson died in 1874.

I think that the Harrisburg-Pittsburgh line opened in 1874.

I could be wrong but I'll say that the PRR didn't reach Chicago until the early 1880's.

Maybe that mirror was made in 1974 and 1874 was simply 100 years earlier.

I could be wrong

You are.  PRR and it's subsidiaries had reached Chicago and St. Louis well before 1874.  Horseshoe Curve (the last link in the line from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh) opened in 1853.  The mirror may well commemorate the standardization of rule books across the system, in effect making it one railroad as opposed to a collection of acquired railroads.

I agree it was most likely made in 1974, 100 years after, but why 1874. So much was going on for PRR at the time I chose what I thought was relevant to the overall design  theme of the mirror, For instance there were union issues and strikes too (surprise), but the mirror doesn't glorify the workers in any way. The cities were listed but not the famous route names. But the engine is pretty much correct for the year so the expansions at Altoona come to mind. The rule book standard " one railroad as opposed to a collection of acquired railroads"(thanks Bob!) was my strongest hunch due to common popularity. The business aspect came to mind because if it is truly an old style silver backed mirror, I would imagine they were created with big buck office deco in mind, real art, not just a "X"-mart mirror, and more likely to reflect the incredible profits and financial decisions made at the time. Hope my theories can help you figure this out. Have you looked close for a hidden artist signature? I always  managed to sneak one into my work.  

It's not even close as an engine from 1874. Try 1893. That's a New York Central locomotive (A mighty famous one at that).

Ah! Nice save Steve. I'm no expert at loco ID's, and Google has failed me again, upon enlarging the example I referred to, which was very close to the mirror, but not exact, it likely was a NYC, not PRR, why they used it for PRR history reference is beyond me. A good example of how "facts" can get corrupted over time. I feel written history should be taken from multiple resources and with a grain of salt. Slacked on my own advice there, sorry.  

Maybe sombody won it at a carnival, lots of nice mirrors there