Thorne Miniature Rooms

I was recently able to spend some time visiting the Thorne Miniature rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago.  The one inch to one foot scale room boxes were commissioned by Mrs. Narcissa Niblack Thorne.  They were produced between 1930-1940.  In 1933, the first 30 room boxes were displayed at the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition.  These rooms were based on European design and Mrs. Thorne traveled to Europe several times for research during the process.  With the success of the exhibit, she added American Rooms and the larger display was also shown at the World's Fairs in San Francisco in 1939 and New York in 1940.   The rooms traded hands after that and after they had toured the world, they came back to Mrs. Thorne for repair.   The Art Institute of Chicago set up their permanent exhibit in 1954 with 68 of the boxes and an endowment to keep the exhibit running.  A museum in Knoxville Tennessee ended up with nine of the original rooms and  Phoenix Art Museum in Arizona has 20 of the room boxes.  The rooms are nothing short of incredible. One of the things that I love about the rooms is that you cannot tell from the photos that this is actually a miniature display.  

English Entrance Hall c. 1775 (detail)

English Entrance Hall c. 1775 (full view)

I didn't photograph all of them, but I did get quite a few.

English Great Hall of the Late Tudor Period, c. 1550-1603

English Bedchamber of the Jacobean or Stuart Period, c. 1603-1688

Each of the boxes is behind glass so they are difficult to photograph.

The room boxes span dates from 1600 to the 1930's and cover historic interiors in the United States, England, France, China and Japan.  Part of the magic is that each room box evokes both accurate history and mood - especially with lighting.  There is not one box that is just a room, generally they have windows, porches, stairs, hallways or even other rooms that open to space being represented.  The decision was made not to populate the rooms with figurines in a effort to imagine the human activity that occurred in each of the rooms.

Each room box has the original type-written tag and a newer brass engraved sign. 

The room boxes are displayed as if they are framed pictures in the gallery 

(note the built-in step to allow all sizes to see)

English Reception Room of the Jacobean Period, c.1625-1655 (detail)

English Reception Room of the Jacobean Period, c.1625-1655

English Cottage Kitchen of the Queen Anne Period, c.1702-1714

English Library of the Queen Anne Period, c. 1702-1750

English Bedroom of the Georgian Period, c. 1760-1775

English Drawing Room of the Georgian Period, c.1770-1800

English Dining Room of the Georgian Period, c. 1770-1790

English Rotunda and Library of the Regency Period, c. 1810-1820

English Drawing Room of the Victorian Period, c. 1840-1870

English Drawing Room of the Modern Period, c.1930's

French Hall of the Louis XII Period, c. 1500

French Bedroom, Late 16th Century

French Salon of the Louis XIV Period, c.1660-1700

French Dining Room of the Louis XIV Period, c. 1660-1700

French Library of the Louis XV Period, c. 1720

French Boudoir of the Louis XV Period c. 1740-1760

French Provincial Bedroom of the Louis XV Period, c. 18th Century

French Dining Room of the Periods of Louis XV and XVI, c. 1760-1780

French Salon of the Louis XVI Period, c. 1780

French Bathroom and boudoir of the Revolutionary Period, c. 1793-1804

French Anteroom of the Empire Period, c. 1810

French Library of the Modern Period c. 1930's (detail of fireplace)

French Library of the Modern Period, c. 1930's

German Sitting Room of the Biedermeier Period, c. 1815-1850

Virginia Dining Room, c. 1758

Shaker Living Room, c.1800

Pennsylvania Drawing Room, c. 1761

New York City Parlor, c. 1850-1870

Pennsylvania Drawing Room, c. 1834-1836

New England Bedroom, c. 1750-1850

Cape Cod Living Room, c. 1750-1850

Rhode Island Parlor, c. 1820

Drawings like this were created for each of the rooms as they were designed. This is the rear wall of the Rhode Island Parlor (see above)

Massachusetts Bedroom, c. 1801 (left side)

Massachusetts Bedroom, c. 1801 (right side)

New Hampshire Entrance Hall, c. 1799

Massachusetts Drawing Room, c. 1768

New Hampshire Parlor, c. 1710

Massachusetts Living Room and Kitchen, c. 1675-1700

California Hallway, c.1940

California Living Room, c. 1850-1875

California Living Room, c. 1935-1940

"Middletown" Parlor, c. 1875-1900

Louisiana Bedroom, c. 1800-1850

Tennessee Entrance Hall, c. 1835

Georgia Double Parlor, c. 1850

South Carolina Ballroom, c. 1775-1835

Virginia Kitchen, c. 18th Century

Virginia Dining Room, c. 1800

Virginia Entrance Hall, c. 1751-1755

Traditional Japanese Interior

Traditional Chinese Interior

English Roman Catholic Church in the Gothic Style, c. late 13th Century  

It is the largest of the room boxes and is 48" X 32.5" X 41.5"

These are some of the books about the Thorne Miniature Rooms in my collection.  The top one dates from 1943, the blue/tan one is dated 1948 and the full color one has details about each room and is from 1983.

It is said that Walt Disney was influenced by a visit to the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the 1939 World's Fair.  I hope that they influence you too!