Just a quick note, this is part one of a two-part series which both discuss death and suicide.

If you or someone you know is feeling depressed or you need to talk to someone, you can call

the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 and they'll be more info in the

show notes.

Okay, onto the show.

Once upon a time, doll houses weren't playthings.

Starting back in the 1600s, the Dockin House or miniature house wasn't meant for kids.

Instead, it was a kind of ostentatious display of wealth and the pastime of very wealthy

women.

It was a big deal.

You know, before television and the internet, people had time on their hands.

The houses were handcrafted by the best artisans.

Each tiny chair could take as long as a real one to make.

And in an upscale part of Chicago, in 1930, there were once two women, both wealthy socialites,

and these two women were both grandmasters of creating beautiful, immaculate, doll houses.

One of the women was Narcissa Nyblac Thorn.

Narcissa Thorn did a series of really beautiful miniatures, ballrooms, grand hallways,

foies.

Meanwhile, her neighbor, Francis Glezznerly, was also making her own incredibly detailed

miniatures.

She did a miniature of the entire Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Wow.

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