March 23, 2014
Constructed with rich materials in fine detail, this miniature needlepoint mirror looks like it could play a part in a tiny version of Snow White. The mirror’s stitched frame by...
May 6, 2020
By Laura S. Taylor, Curator of Interpretation One of the most intriguing aspects of fine-scale miniatures is the secondary spaces that can be glimpsed through those tiny windows and doors....
December 5, 2016
With its gilded C-shaped curves intertwined with floral vines, this miniature mirror is unmistakably Rococo style. Popular in Europe in the eighteenth century, Rococo style came to America via imported...
October 14, 2016
Who would have imagined a small town girl from Willows, Wisconsin would one day have her own feature exhibit in Paris? Ok, so maybe she’s not a real person (and...
September 2, 2016
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed his buildings and homes in their entirety, often right down to the furniture. Wright believed that architecture should be suited to its environment, and similarly...
May 10, 2016
Where and how we buy our food has changed a lot over the last 150 years. Today’s big box stores, drive-through windows, vending machines, and mail-order meals are a far...
June 30, 2015
Anyone who has been to a Scholastic Book Fair in the last 20 years knows the joys of the I Spy and Can You See What I See? books. Think...
November 15, 2014
We’ve got to hand it to the Victorians: they were recycling and reusing a century before the country had heard of Al Gore or Earth Day! Everyday objects like wishbones,...
November 7, 2014
The ballots have been tallied and the results are in. Congratulations are in order for the newest inductees to the National Toy Hall of Fame: bubbles, the Rubik’s Cube, and...
November 3, 2014
Topping the list of frequently asked questions about our miniature collection is, “how did they make that?!” In the summer of 2012, miniature painter Lee Ann Chellis-Wessel came to Kansas...
October 20, 2014
Thirty-one was a big year for the museum, and we are confident that thirty-two will be even bigger! Although the museum didn’t get married (that’s just silly talk, institutions can’t...
October 2, 2014
From the ancient Greek myth of Icarus, to Leonardo Da Vinci’s fantastical flying machines, mankind has held the desire to fly for centuries. Up until the Wright Brothers finally got...
May 16, 2014
Like a broken (polka) record, we seem to talk a lot about the German toy industry here on Small Talk. Just goes to show how prolific it used to be!...
November 4, 2013
This 1/12 scale sewing casket was inspired by a full-size sewing casket at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London that dates to 1671. The original was made by an...
Art of the Imagination Summer Day Camp with Special Artist Guests
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