You won’t find a museum wing with more rooms than this one at The Art Institute of Chicago. While the wing certainly is large, it might not be as big as you imagine it to be, as the aforementioned rooms are small. Really small.
Constructed to scale by Narcissa Niblack Thorne in the early 20th century, there are nearly 70 rooms that depict some of the marvelous places Thorne had seen or even been to in her lifetime. Each of these tiny model rooms are nearly indistinguishable from normal-sized rooms…and it’s simply amazing.
Model of a Virginia Dining Room, c. 1800
Tennessee Entrance Hall, 1835
New Mexico Dining Room, c. 1940
Virginia Drawing Room, 1754
New York Parlor, 1850-70
Cape Cod Living Room, 1750-1850
German Sitting Room of the “Biedermeier” Period, 1815-50
French Boudoir of the Louis XV Period, 1740-60
Rhode Island Parlor, c. 1820
Pennsylvania Drawing Room, 1834-36
Maryland Dining Room, 1770-74
Virginia Kitchen, 18th Century
Shaker Living Room, c. 1800
New England Bedroom, 1750-1850
Massachusetts Dining Room, 1795
English Great Room of the Late Tudor Period, 1550-1603
Watch the video below to see just how tiny these rooms are.
(via Amusing Planet, Chicago Tonight)
Oh, the places you’ll go without ever having to leave The Art Institute of Chicago! What an amazing exhibit to have.