Narcissa Niblack Thorne

• Name — Narcissa Niblack Thorne • Born — 2 May 1882 • Birthplace — Vincennes, Indiana, U.S. • Died — 25 June 1966 • Place of death — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Occupation — Artist • Education — Kenwood Institute

Thorne was born in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1882; her parents moved to Chicago when she was a child. She was educated partially at home and partially in public school, finishing at the Kenwood Institute. She married James Ward Thorne, an heir to the Montgomery Ward department store fortune, on May 29, 1901; they had been childhood sweethearts. They had two sons, named Ward and Niblack.

There are various stories of how Thorne was initially prompted to construct the miniature rooms. Her interest in miniatures began early, and was encouraged by trinkets sent to her by her uncle, a Rear Admiral in the US Navy. The first known exhibit of her work occurred in 1932. The high unemployment of the Great Depression made it possible for her to hire workers with highly specialized skills. Most of her exhibitions were private, held to raise funds for local charitable causes, but at the Century of Progress Exposition in 1933, Thorne's works were publicly exhibited in a dedicated building. Subsequent public exhibits included the Art Institute of Chicago and the New York World's Fair of 1940. In 1936, she received a request to make a miniature library depicting a room at Windsor Castle, to mark the planned coronation of Edward VIII; although the coronation never occurred, she delivered the room and it was displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum. • Illustration — English Dining Room of the Georgian Period (1937) - Art Institute of Chicago Thorne's best-known works show the interiors of upper-class homes from England, the United States, and France. The rooms are generally built on a scale of approximately 1:12, or one inch to one foot. They are painstakingly precise, and when maintenance is required, it has to be done with delicate tweezers and cotton swabs, the furnishings being carefully restored to their original position with reference to a detailed layout plan. Although her rooms were extremely time-consuming and expensive to produce, Thorne never sought or received payment for any of them. The death of her husband in 1946 left Thorne with an estate worth upwards of 2 million dollars, enabling her to continue focusing on her work. However, eventually a shortage of sufficiently skilled workers forced her to focus on dioramas and shadow boxes. When a permanent gallery was established for the Thorne rooms at the Art Institute in 1954, Thorne set up a fund to cover the costs of caring for the works.

Narcissa Niblack Thorne was recorded at birth as Narcissa Hoffman Niblack. The authorities additionally record the headings Mrs. James Ward Thorne, Narcissa Hoffman Niblack, Narcissa Niblack, Narcissa Thorne and Mrs. Her recorded language was English. She was the child of William C. She married James Ward Thorne.

Narcissa Niblack Thorne is recorded as painter and writer.