A Land of Small Inspirations
Thorne Miniature Room : French Hall of the Louis XII Period, c. 1500
Inspiration is often found in the most unexpected of places. At the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, Walt Disney discovered the Thorne Miniature rooms hand-crafted by Eugene Kupjack through the careful direction of Mrs. James Ward Thorne.
Walt was instantly captivated by the incredible detail perfectly captured in one-twelfth scale. Each room was designed around a particular period of history with all of the tiny furnishings and room decor being perfectly curated to that era in time. These rooms are still available for viewing today at the Art Institute of Chicago. In fact, Walt himself returned there many times to see the rooms.
Walt Disney’s Handmade “Granny’s Cabin” miniature room.
To bring a bit of that magic home, Walt began to build his own miniature collection. He owned everything from matchbook sized Shakespearean texts to hand-weaved rugs to a tiny organ created by conductor Frederick Stark. Walt even tried his hand at creating some of his own miniatures, including a petite woodstove. You can still see some of Walt's collection at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
Walt in front of his “Granny’s Cabin” miniature room.
By 1950, Walt jumped into a new project creating miniature dioramas that captured important events in history. He called this project Disneylandia and planned to tour the country with it. In 1952 Walt said: “I am hoping [my new project] will become a reality, but at this point it’s very much in the thinking and planning stage. . . . I’ve been collecting all sorts of miniature pieces for the past three or four years, with this project in mind. It’s been a wonderful hobby for me and I find it is something very relaxing to turn to when studio problems become too hectic.”
“The Dream Parlor” 1/7 scale miniature ice cream parlor created by Geoff Mitchell.
Our miniature artist and long-time Disney fan, Geoff Mitchell, has found some of the same inspiration that Walt himself found. When in Chicago after graduating from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Geoff frequented the Thorne Miniature Rooms. He felt a bit of the Disney magic in them and Geoff was especially excited to learn about Walt Disney's own fascination with these rooms.
“The Locket” 1/7 scale, three-room ghost story by Geoff Mitchell
Geoff had been primarily an acrylic painter, but he continually found himself inspired during his trips to Disneyland. In particular, he was mesmerized by the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-through attraction inside the corridors of Disneyland's castle. Building on this inspiration, Geoff decided to embark on a new kind of project using a series of miniature rooms to tell a story.
Room Two from “The Locket”, a ghost story told in miniature.
During the writing of our Magic Lanterns book (a collection of imaginative tales based on our collection of paintings), he chose one special ghost story and worked diligently to tell this story in one-seventh scale miniature rooms. Each room is meticulously crafted by hand and includes finely-tuned details such as a working lighthouse, a thunderstorm, and a glowing magical locket.
The third room in “The Locket” series.
Geoff's work has always been inspired by all things Disney and those with a keen eye will see plenty of these hidden Disney elements throughout his miniatures, paintings, sculpture, and sound installations. Ultimately, Geoff uses his creations to tell stories that inspire others to “make believe”.
“The Hourglass” tells the story of love, alchemy and time. 1/7th scale miniature room by Geoff Mitchell.
Geoff Mitchell in front of “The Locket.”