A liquid crystal display device characterized by a liquid crystal cell having a layer of liquid crystal material, which is switchable on a zonal basis between various optical states, interposed between a front and rear carrier plates; a fluorescent plate which is disposed behind the rear carrier plate of a liquid crystal cell in the path of observation and has light emergent or exit windows disposed behind the switchable liquid crystal zones; and at least one supplemental light source in optical contact with the fluorescent plate to provide light for exciting fluorescent centers in the fluorescent plate. The fluorescent plate has silvered edge surfaces and consists of a material which has an index of refraction greater than 1 and contains the fluorescent centers which are excited by ambient light to emit a fluorescent light isotropically. Preferably, the liquid crystal layer is interposed between front and rear electrodes which control the optical properties of the layer. In one embodiment, the cell includes polarizers which coact with the liquid crystal layer to control the emission of light through the exit windows of the fluorescent plate. In another embodiment, the liquid crystal layer contains a pleochroic dye which will absorb the fluorescent light to a high degree while the layer is in an un-energized state and only absorbed the fluorescent light to a limited degree while the layer is in an excited state. The light exit windows may be provided with dielectric layers, which will reflect on a color selected basis so that the multi-colored displays are obtainable and the dielectric mirrors and the plane of the fluorescent plate may be arranged to enclose an angle of the polarization so that the light emerging from the exit windows is polarized.