Absolutely CRAZY miniature houses made by the legendary Mrs James Ward Thorne

Date
10 April 2013

These houses are amazing, and that’s before you even realise that they are actually teeny tiny miniature reproductions of real houses! Crafted by Narcissa Ward Thorne, known more commonly as Mrs James Ward Thorne, in the 1920s and 1930s, they’re exact replicas of classical interior and exterior architecture that define the periods they were designed in. From contemporary dining rooms to classic English libraries, the mind-boggling craftsmanship that have gone into these works of art is pretty staggering.

When you think she managed to produce these using only the tools available in the 1930s, it’s almost hard to believe. The works, in most of which the scale is one inch to one foot, were on display at New York World’s Fair in 1940 and rocketed Mrs James Ward to fame. Her works are currently on display in her hometown at the Art Institute of Chicago. Woah.

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Mrs James Ward Thorne: Entrance Hall 1835-1845 The Hermitage, near Nashville, Tennessee

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Mrs James Ward Thorne: Contemporary Dining Room, A House in New Mexico

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Mrs James Ward Thorne: Double Parlor, About 1850, House of a Georgia Planter

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Mrs James Ward Thorne: Dining Room 1770-1774 Hammond-Harwood House, Annapolis, Maryland

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Mrs James Ward Thorne: English Dining Room of the Georgian Period, 1770-90

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Mrs James Ward Thorne: English Rotunda and Library of the Regency Period

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Mrs James Ward Thorne: Parlor 1850-1875, 28 East 20th Street, New York City

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Mrs James Ward Thorne: Cape Cod Living Room, 1750-1850, c. 1940

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Mrs James Ward Thorne: Entrance Hall 1799 Pierce Mansion, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

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About the Author

Liv Siddall

Liv joined It’s Nice That as an intern in 2011 and worked across online, print and events, and was latterly Features Editor before leaving in May 2015.

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