Scale miniature of a rustic but refined kitchen with a varnished wooden table at center and one chair. A dark wooden chest sits beneath the window at left, a spinning wheel in the left back corner. In the right corner is an ornately carved door adjacent to a staircase. Metal plates line a wide hearth.

A17: Pennsylvania Kitchen, 1752

c. 1940

United States

Narcissa Thorne aimed to design convincingly lived-in miniature interiors; to contend with the absent fourth wall, she employed techniques of stage design. Here, for instance, the chairs around the kitchen table face outward, and the pieces of furniture are arranged so as not to obstruct one another. This careful placement allows viewers to see each element while also encouraging them to imagine scenes playing out within the space.

Miniature room, mixed media

Women artists

Applied Arts of Europe