E-14: English Drawing Room of the Victorian Period, 1840-70
c. 1937
Medium
Miniature room, mixed media
Dimensions
Interior, Scale 1 inch = 1 foot: 44.5 × 71.8 × 135.3 cm (17 1/2 × 28 1/4 × 53 1/4 in.)
Classification
miniature
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
43729
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Narcissa Thorne must have imagined the occupants of this miniature drawing room to be loyal subjects of the English Crown, as it abounds with images of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert. Thorne was amused by the lavish decoration and heavy ornament of Victorian furniture, which by her time had become unfashionable. The many ornate objects in this room were cleverly constructed using a mix of faux and genuine luxury materials: the candelabras, for example, are painted to look like gold, wher...
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...