The rooms were conceived, designed, and in large part created by Narcissa Niblack Thorne (1882-1966).
Many of the rooms even contain period-style rugs Thorne had woven specifically for each space.
However, eventually a shortage of sufficiently skilled workers forced her to focus on dioramas and shadowboxes.
But poor health forced her to close her studio in March 1966, donating her remaining works to charity.
Narcissa Niblack Thorne died the same year in Chicago.
In total, Thorne completed nearly one hundred rooms.
