A17: Pennsylvania Kitchen, 1752
c. 1940
Medium
Miniature room, mixed media
Dimensions
Interior, Scale 1 inch = 1 foot: 24.2 × 61.3 × 121.3 cm (9 1/2 × 24 1/8 × 47 3/4 in.)
Classification
miniature
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
45360
Art Historical Context
Narcissa Niblack Thorne’s *A17: Pennsylvania Kitchen, 1752* offers a captivating glimpse into colonial American domestic life through the art of miniature craftsmanship. Created around 1940, this meticulously scaled interior captures the functional heart of an 18-century Pennsylvania kitchen, complete with period-appropriate furnishings and architectural details. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Applied Arts of Europe department, the work belongs to Thorne’s renowned series of miniature rooms that preserve vanishing historical environments in exquisite detail. Measuring just 9½ by 24⅛...
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...