Narcissa Niblack Thorne began collecting miniatures as a young girl. Her fascination grew and as an adult, she gained world-wide recognition for hundreds of miniature rooms created with such exacting detail that they became educational tools for students of architecture and interior design. She left 68 of her rooms to the Art Institute of Chicago, where they remain on permanent exhibit in a Gallery devoted solely to Mrs. Thorne's masterpieces. Thorne Rooms are also in the permanent collections of the Phoenix Art Museum and the Knoxville Museum of Art.