Miniature Rooms: The Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago
by Fannia Weingartner
Category: Antiques & Collectibles

Generations of visitors to the Art Institute of Chicago have been entranced by the Thorne Rooms. Painstakingly constructed on a scale of one inch to one foot, these intriguing models offer intricately detailed views of European interiors from the 16th century through the 1930s and of American furnishings from the 17th century to 1940. The sixty-eight miniature rooms were conceived by Chicago socialite Mrs. James Ward Thorne and made between 1934 and 1940 by a number of skilled craftsmen according to her exacting specifications. Many of the rooms were inspired by specific interiors in historic houses or by museum installations or period rooms. Others combine features copied from various houses, palaces, and sites Mrs. Thorne visited during her extensive travels.