E-25: French Bathroom and Boudoir of the Revolutionary Period, 1793-1804 c. 1937

Narcissa Niblack Thorne created this miniature interior of a French Bathroom and Boudoir sometime in the mid-twentieth century. Using wood, paint, fabric, and metal, Thorne meticulously recreated a space meant to evoke the revolutionary period between 1793 and 1804. These Thorne Rooms are compelling due to the extreme level of craftsmanship and detail displayed, a testament to the fact that they were fabricated by a team of skilled model makers, cabinetmakers, weavers, and painters. Although Thorne herself was not necessarily working with her own hands, the design and planning of these rooms involved an immense amount of labor and embodied the knowledge of many craftspeople. This level of detailed work contrasts dramatically with the way that many period rooms are displayed in museums. Instead of experiencing an actual historic interior, we see it distilled, intensified, and perfectly preserved in miniature. In this way, Thorne asks us to consider how we see, touch, and understand the history of both art and craft.