PURPOSE: To utilize light effectively by obtaining uniform and bright lighting, by making the absorption axis of a polarizing plate at the front side of a reverse-surface reflecting plate coincide with the direction of light incident to a display panel from a lighting means arranged on the flank of the display panel.

CONSTITUTION: Light given from lighting source 18 arranged on the flank of the panel holding a liquid-crystal layer between a couple of photoconductive substrates 12 and 13 is incident to reverse-surface reflecting plate 17 at a small angle and then reflected, so the reflecte light contains much polarized light perpendicular to the figure surface. The absorption axis of reverse-surface polarizing plate 16 is set at right angles to the said polarized light direction, so that the light given from light source 18 can effectively be collected in the liquid-crystal layer. Further, the intensity of the lighting is uniformed laterally over the figure surface.