Collecting Miniatures

  • Dear Readers

    Thank you so much for following my adventures in collecting miniatures by reading my blogs for the past four and a half years. I’ve included even more information and additional images in the print versions of Collectively Speaking: My Passionate Pursuit of Miniatures, Volumes 1 and 2. It’s been a pleasure to share the collection with you […]

  • Spencer House at Christmas

    I can’t imagine how many people and how much time it would have taken to decorate Spencer House in the 19th century. Here in the gallery, it takes a full day to prepare the rooms in the Spencer House miniature. Once we remove the glass and clean and polish the rooms for the holidays, we […]

  • Welcome to Savage Manor

    It’s hard to believe Savage Manor is finally here. I have been envisioning it for years, ever since a relative told me our ancestor, Thomas Savage, had been Archbishop of York during the 16th century. He was appointed by Henry VII and served from 1501 until his death in 1507 and needless to say, I was […]

  • Revered: The Home of an American Icon

    American patriot Paul Revere needs no introduction. He was immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1860 poem and in history books going back as far as I remember. In Boston, Massachusetts, where he lived and worked as a silversmith when he made his famous Midnight Ride, he is considered a national treasure. The Paul Revere House […]

  • The Miniature That Broke the Mold

    The Whittier by Noel and Pat Thomas has many stories to tell, but they are not mine. They belong to the collector who commissioned it—Sarah Salisbury who passed away in 2011, to its makers Noel and Pat Thomas, who created it in the eighties, and to the many miniaturists who have since been inspired by […]

  • Miniature Miniatures

      Nell Corkin is one of the most fascinating artisans you will ever meet—personally and professionally. The IGMA Fellow has worked in film with the likes of John Dykstra, Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott, on Universal Studio rides, and on scenes using larger than life props. Since 1993, however, she has focused on the smallest of small—1/144th […]

  • G. Roberts & Son

    Over the years, Tom Roberts’ room boxes have proven to be some of the most interesting and awe-inspiring pieces in the collection. People are drawn to his eclectic style and unexpected pairings, his impeccable detail and, in many cases, his sense of humor. His scenes are perfectly overcrowded—a delight at every turn offering a childlike […]

  • Hands of Time

    Clockmakers throughout history have long been admired craftsmen and artisans. The same can be said for those who create the intricate timepieces in miniature. Here are just some of the collection’s reproductions of historic clocks from around the world. Ernie Levy The 1/12-scale lighthouse clock pictured above is a prime example of Ernie’s extraordinary work. In […]

  • Form & Function

    So many visitors to the KSB Miniatures Collection remark about the beauty and amazing detail of our pieces, but, sadly, some will never know that quite a number of our fine-scale miniatures actually function. Here are just four pieces that operate as their original counterparts. Ship Automata by Paul Briggs: English model ship builder, Paul […]

  • Young at Heart

        You don’t have to be a member of the Red Hat Society to know who they are. When a swarm of red and purple infiltrates a room and fills it with energy and laughter, everyone knows the Red Hatters are here. Founded 20 years ago by a woman who gave a friend a […]