This is a miniature, a tiny replica of an English dining room of the late 18th century. Between 1932 and 1940, American artist Narcissa Niblack Thorne made 100 such diminutive rooms, often enlisting architects, designers, and craftsmen whose talents became available during the Depression. Ninety-nine of the miniatures are still in existence, most on display at the Art Institute of Chicago, where they serve as documents of the decorating styles of periods past. Generally designed on a scale of one inch per foot, many of them include authentic materials: bowls of real silver, chandeliers of real crystal, even original paintings...