Thorne miniature rooms

The model rooms were the brainchild of Narcissa Niblack Thorne,[1][2] who was born in 1882 in Vincennes, Indiana.

[3][4] During her childhood, her uncle Albert Parker Niblack, a United States Navy vice admiral, sent her many antique dollhouse miniatures from around the world.

[3] The idea for the model rooms also developed from Thorne's collection of miniature furniture and household accessories, which she began assembling around 1900, and her desire to house and display these items.

[3] During the Great Depression, Thorne had access to some of the top architects, interior designers, and craftsmen in the United States, who between 1932 and 1940 created approximately 100 "period rooms" under her direction.

[1][5] The original 30 were placed on display at the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago,[1][4] and in 1940 they were the subject of a LIFE magazine article.