A31: Tennessee Entrance Hall, 1835
c. 1940
Medium
Miniature room, mixed media
Dimensions
Interior, Scale 1 inch = 1 foot: 35.9 × 36.8 × 76.8 cm (14 1/8 × 14 1/2 × 30 1/4 in.)
Classification
miniature
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
45401
Art Historical Context
Narcissa Niblack Thorne created this Tennessee Entrance Hall around 1940 as part of her celebrated series of period rooms. Crafted in mixed media at a precise one-inch-to-one-foot scale, the work captures the architectural details and furnishings of an 1835 American interior. Thorne’s meticulous approach brings together elements like paneled walls, doorways, and period-appropriate décor, offering viewers an intimate glimpse into early nineteenth-century domestic design in the American South. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Applied Arts of Europe department, the piece belongs to a lar...
About the Artist
Narcissa Niblack Thorne · 1882–1966
Narcissa Niblack Thorne (1882–1966) was born on May 2 in Vincennes, Indiana, the eldest child of William Niblack and Frances Caldwell Niblack. Her family relocated to Chicago during her childhood, where she received a patchwork education: homeschooled by a governess, public schooling from age eleven, private classes, and finishing at the elite Kenwood Institute in Hyde Park. Extensive family trave...