I almost missed them. Tucked downstairs, beneath the main staircase and out of the way of the crowds, I stumbled upon an assortment of tiny creations. Playful, charming, interesting, evocative, fun, and, some even say, “cute.” “They are the most powerful form of educational cuteness there is,” their caretaker laughs.

In the 1930’s, Chicago artist Mrs. James Ward Thorne, and her team of exacting artisans, constructed tiny, dollhouse-like rooms depicting historic American and European home interiors. Of the ninety-nine she created, Mrs. Thorne gifted sixty-eight of these miniature rooms to the Art Institute of Chicago.

Art Institute of Chicago

Lindsay Mican Morgan is the lucky guardian of the Thorne Miniature Rooms, a beloved and popular Chicago institution.

“Because of them being miniature, a special feeling happens,” says Lindsay. “If you walk into a period room at a museum, it can be intimidating. But when you miniaturize it, your imagination takes over, and it becomes about play,” she continues.

As Lindsay and I walk through the Thorne Rooms gallery, I peer into the wood-trimmed, glass cases which contain precise replicas of taverns and parlors and dining rooms from the last few hundred years. Pointing out the floor coverings, window treatments, and light fixtures “of the day,” Lindsay wants me to appreciate all the meticulous details.

When I “ooh” and “ahh” over the California Hallway, depicting west-coast life in 1940, I notice bronze sculptures and stamp-sized paintings in the room. Lindsay, an architecture fanatic, emphasizes these pieces of miniature art are not replicas – they are one of a kind.

California Hallway

Mrs. Thorne hired the actual artists, sculptors, textile firms, wallpaper companies, and artisans – those famous in her era – to furnish her miniature rooms. She adored the floral bronze intertwining gates on her family crypt and commissioned the same expert to do the metal work for her Gothic Church miniature room.

English Roman Catholic Church in the Gothic Style

“The costs to produce the same types of rooms today would be exorbitant,” Lindsay says.  Mrs. Thorne created her rooms during the Great Depression. Although she paid generous wages, these artists would not have worked elsewhere at the time.

Each room is more enchanting than the last.

The Tennessee Entrance Hall, circa 1835, with its grand carved staircase, detailed wallpaper, and ornate rugs. The French Library with the lights of the Eiffel Tower twinkling outside the window. The French Salon of the Louis XI period with the gilded frames and wall sconces and trim. The English Library in the Queen Anne period, early 1700’s, with tiny books arranged on shelves.

Tennessee Entrance Hall

Like Lindsay, I love all the wee knickknacks –  the cut crystal dishes filled with nuts and candies in the period dining rooms, the pots and pans in the colonial kitchens. “All the items are free standing,” Lindsay tells me. “Nothing clumped or glued together.”

French Library of the Modern Period

From cleaning the rooms with sable hair brushes to writing the display descriptions to giving lectures for public and private programs, Lindsay is a one-woman show. And she loves it this way. “I get to work with people in  every part of the museum and coordinate all sorts of public and private programs. I am never bored,” the miniature enthusiast smiles.

From Utah, Lindsay was a grad student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago when the opportunity knocked.  Her “strange combination of skills – theory, art history, the fine motor skills of an artist, some miniaturization work – were perfect for the Thorne Rooms.”

New Mexico Dining Room

One of Lindsay’s busiest – and most fun – times during the year is when she prepares rooms for the holidays.

And she begins well in advance. Lindsay researches holiday traditions for particular eras, commissions artists, and makes tiny floral arrangements and decorations (with archival materials) herself. She adds a room a year to the holiday exhibit and must maintain the display’s impeccable standards. 

Connecticut Valley Tavern Parlor

A woman in Italy creates the miniature holiday sweets and cakes and jellies. Working from photos Lindsay provides, this miniature food specialist (Wouldn’t I love to talk with her?!) crafts little treats to display on tiered serving trays and crystal plates. 

South Carolina Drawing Room

The mother of a toddler, Lindsay loves to watch the people who bring their children to the Art Institute. “But remember,” she cautions, “it becomes a chore if you try to see everything in one visit.” She recommends visitors “have an amazing time in two areas, and tell yourself you will be back again.” 

 Thank you to Lindsay Mican Morgan for several of the photos in this story.

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