A33: "Middletown" Parlor, 1875-90
c. 1940
Medium
Miniature room, mixed media
Dimensions
Interior, Scale 1 inch = 1 foot: 25.8 × 53.4 × 47 cm (10 1/8 × 21 × 18 1/2 in.)
Classification
miniature
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
45407
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
“Middletown” is a fictionalized town in Indiana, Narcissa Thorne’s home state, and the eclectic decorative accessories in this miniature room impart a personal, lived-in quality. Objects like porcelain vases, crystal paperweights, books, newspapers, and even tiny photographs suggest that this room is based on Thorne’s memories of her childhood.
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...