The Thorne Miniature Rooms were conceived by Mrs. James Wood Thorne and constructed between 1932 and 1940 by an army of craftspeople adhering to Mrs. Thorne's specifications. Fabrics and carpets were specially woven, reducing patterns to the master scale of one inch to one foot. Sixty-eight of these rooms are on permanent display at the Art Insititute of Chicago. They represent interiors dating from the 13th century to the 20th.