On a recent trip to Phoenix, Arizona, I had the pleasure of seeing 20 of the famous Thorne Miniature Rooms with two dear relatives. What a pleasure to see the rooms in real life! They were incredibly detailed and realistic looking. My favorite thing about them was that most of the rooms had an outside light source, such as a garden to one side, that not only illuminated the room, but also gave it a refreshing realism.
I was able to take tons of photographs while I was there, so I'm including some of my favorites here. If you'd like to see the Thorne Rooms in person, you can see the ones in Phoenix at The Phoenix Art Museum.
The Phoenix Art Museum owns 20 Thorne Miniature Rooms, and the rest are in the Art Institute of Chicago (68), the Knoxville Museum of Art (9), The Indianapolis Childrens Museum (1), and the Kaye Miniature Museum in Los Angeles (1).
According to Stephanie Finnegan, author of The Dollhouse Book, "Narcissa Niblack Thorne set out to replicate distinct moments in time and precise geographical and biographical locations.Throughout her decades as helmswoman of the team that would tackle this ambitious undertaking, Thorne employed a great number of outstanding craftsmen, carpenters and artists." Spanning decades, she started her project in 1930. The result is spectacular rooms in 1:12 scale. These rooms are not to be missed by miniature enthusiasts and well worth a visit by everyone else.
Which of the rooms is your favorite? Have any of you seen the Thorne Rooms in Phoenix or at one of the other museums? If so, please share your experience! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer
