Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures

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Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures

Welcome to The Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures! We are located on the 8th floor of Oldfather Hall on UNL's City Campus. Admission is free.

Open First Fridays (September-May) from 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. and by easy appointment throughout the year.

09/07/2026

🪑 Miniature Monday✨

Today’s Miniature Monday introduces us to a pair of elegant chairs—and an artisan whose work would eventually reach astonishing levels of complexity.

This mahogany Sheraton shield-back armchair and matching side chair were crafted in 1978 by British miniaturist Denis E. W. Hillman (1924–2011). Their delicate shield-shaped backs enclose pierced and swagged Prince of Wales feathers, while the armchair features graceful serpentine arms. Both chairs rest on slender tapering square legs and have seats upholstered in gold silk with a tiny red, white, and green floral motif.

A cabinetmaker by trade, Hillman was trained in precision model making by the British Admiralty and Air Ministry during the 1940s. He began making miniatures in the early 1970s and went on to become a Fellow of the International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA), earning recognition for the extraordinary precision of his miniature furniture.

Hillman’s later work became increasingly ambitious, and he became particularly celebrated for his reproductions of French royal furniture. Among his masterpieces was a miniature of Louis XV’s famed Bureau du Roi at Versailles. The extraordinary piece took nearly five years to complete and contains more than 16,000 individually laid pieces of wood, along with working mechanical components.

These comparatively restrained Sheraton chairs, made earlier in Hillman’s miniature career, offer a wonderful glimpse of the precision and attention to historical furniture design that would characterize his work for decades.

✨ Visit the Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures to see these exceptional chairs and thousands more remarkable miniatures collected by Eloise from talented makers around the world.

💛 Like, follow, and share to help others discover these tiny treasures!

09/03/2026

🎁 Tiny Treasures Thursday✨

Good things really do come in small packages!

This week our cataloging focused on a delightful assortment of miniature gift boxes and wrapped packages tucked away in the Eloise Kruger Collection. We created 14 additional catalog records, bringing our total to 4,481 records documenting Eloise’s remarkable collection.

Featured here are just five of this week’s finds, including elegantly wrapped packages finished with tiny bows and ribbons and miniature boxes bearing the names of familiar luxury retailers.

Whether intended for a miniature shop, dressing table, holiday scene, or special occasion, these little packages demonstrate something we encounter again and again while cataloging Eloise’s collection: even the smallest objects received attention. Carefully folded paper, delicate ribbons, and remarkably tiny lettering are the kinds of details that help bring a miniature world to life.

With many more small accessories in the collection still waiting to be documented, there will be plenty more surprises to unwrap in future Tiny Treasures Thursdays.

✨ Visit the Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures to discover these and thousands more remarkable pieces from Eloise’s extraordinary collection.

💛 Like, follow, and share to help others discover these tiny treasures!

In a collection this vast and eclectic, we never know what we’ll uncover next.

Documenting the artistry, one object at a time.

08/31/2026

Miniature Monday✨

As August draws to a close and summer begins to give way to fall, we’re ending the month with a miniature that seems made for savoring those last leisurely days of the season.

This wonderful 1940s-style wicker rocking chair was handcrafted in 1978 by American miniature artisan Donna M. Bergagnini (1930–2010). Painted white and intricately woven, the chair features a broad woven seat, an open latticework back, and delicate wrapped framework resting on wooden rockers. It belongs to a four-piece matching set in the Eloise Kruger Collection consisting of this rocker, an armchair, footstool, and table.

Based in Michigan, Bergagnini was active in the miniature arts by at least the 1970s and became particularly known for her handcrafted wicker furniture and other scale furnishings. She was a member of the Grand Rapids Miniature Society and also shared her skills by teaching workshops.

Eloise Kruger’s collection gives us the opportunity not only to appreciate pieces like this one, but also to rediscover the artisans behind them. Bergagnini is one of the many makers whose work Eloise preserved and whose contributions help tell the story of American miniature artistry.

✨ Visit the Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures to see the work of Donna Bergagnini and thousands more remarkable miniatures collected by Eloise from talented makers around the world.

🎓 With a new academic year underway, join us for our first First Friday of the academic year this Friday, September 4, from 3–6 p.m.! We look forward to welcoming you back to the gallery.

💛 Like, follow, and share to help others discover these tiny treasures!

08/27/2026

🔎 Tiny Treasures Thursday✨

This week, our cataloging efforts went to the dogs (and cow)! 🐕🐄

We created 17 additional catalog records, bringing our grand total to 4,467 catalog records documenting the Eloise Kruger Collection.

Our focus was an assortment of animal figurines representing different breeds, materials, and methods of miniature making. Featured here are just five of the 17 catalog records: a charming Fritz Wagner composition cow covered in soft cotton flocking, complete with tiny horns, a green ribbon, and bell; a bone china spaniel accompanied by her puppy; a pair of alert bone china boxers; a painted metal fox terrier; and a wonderfully expressive composition bulldog. With many more animals in the collection still waiting to be documented, watch for our four-legged friends to make another appearance in a future Tiny Treasures Thursday!🐾

✨ Visit the Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures to meet these tiny residents and discover thousands more remarkable pieces from Eloise’s extraordinary collection.

📅 The gallery is open by appointment during the summer months.

📧 Contact [email protected] to schedule your visit.

💛 Like, follow, and share to help others discover these tiny treasures!

In a collection this vast and eclectic, we never know what we’ll uncover next.

Documenting the artistry, one object at a time.

08/24/2026

🪑 Miniature Monday✨

A teenage interest, a daughter’s dollhouse, and an unexpected second career all come together in the story behind today’s miniature.

This remarkable 1:12 scale maple block-front chest of drawers was crafted in 1973 by Edward G. “Ted” Norton (1926–2022) of Westbrook, Connecticut. Its four working drawers feature alternating convex and concave sections, beautifully carved shell decoration, tiny brass bail handles and a molded top.

Norton’s interest in working at reduced scale began when he was a teenager, when he made a cobbler’s bench and a chair. Decades later, miniature making returned to his life in a much more significant way. A plumber by trade, Ted was asked by his eldest daughter, Grace, to make a dollhouse as a college graduation present. He built the house in his spare time and began crafting furnishings for it as well. That project rekindled his early interest and ultimately launched his career as a miniature furniture maker. When a physical problem later forced him to retire from plumbing, he turned to making scale furniture full time around 1972.

Ted approached his new profession with remarkable attention to historical accuracy. He specialized in what a 1978 advertisement called “Authentic Reproductions of American Antique Furniture,” carefully maintaining 1:12 scale, using woods appropriate to the full-size originals, and making drawers, doors, and other components functional. His work was exhibited, published, and collected across the country, and in 1987 he received the Mell Prescott Memorial Award in recognition of both the quality of his craftsmanship and his contribution to the miniature field.

Eloise Kruger clearly knew of Norton’s work very early in his professional career. Her 1973 address book records Edward Norton on Wesley Avenue in Westbrook, Connecticut—the same year this chest was made. The presence of his work in her collection offers another glimpse into Eloise’s connections with the talented artisans helping shape the miniature arts during this remarkable period.

✨ Visit the Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures to see this exceptional chest and thousands more remarkable miniatures collected by Eloise from talented makers around the world.

📅 The gallery is open by appointment during the summer months.

📧 Contact [email protected] to schedule your visit.

💛 Like, follow, and share to help others discover these tiny treasures!

08/20/2026

Tiny Treasures Thursday✨

This week we created 22 additional catalog records, bringing our total to 4,450 catalog records documenting the Eloise Kruger Collection.

Our focus was an assortment of practical objects that reflect the everyday work of the home. Featured here are just five of our finds: a wooden washboard with a corrugated metal scrubbing surface, a two-wheeled hand truck, a paint tray and roller, a straw broom with a long handle, and a well-used axe. From doing laundry and cleaning to painting, moving, and chopping wood, these familiar objects capture the practical—and essential—tasks of daily life.

One of the joys of documenting Eloise’s remarkable collection is discovering just how thoroughly she represented the world in reduced scale. Alongside beautifully furnished rooms, elegant decorative objects, and elaborate foods are the ordinary tools that helped make those environments feel lived in and complete.

These five photographs represent just a sampling of the many household tools and pieces of equipment photographed and cataloged this week.

✨ Visit the Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures to discover these and thousands more remarkable pieces from Eloise’s extraordinary collection.

📅 The gallery is open by appointment during the summer months.

📧 Contact [email protected] to schedule your visit.

💛 Like, follow, and share to help others discover these tiny treasures!

In a collection this vast and eclectic, we never know what we’ll uncover next.

Documenting the artistry, one object at a time.

08/17/2026

🪑 Miniature Monday✨

Today we’re highlighting the work of an artisan whose chairs clearly caught Eloise Kruger’s attention.

This mahogany Chippendale armchair and matching side chair, crafted around 1970 by American artisan Betty Valentine, feature intricate geometric fretwork backs and rich gold upholstered seats. At 1:12 scale, the delicate openwork and slender proportions demonstrate the precision required to reproduce historically inspired furniture on such a reduced scale.

A self-trained furniture maker based in Connecticut, Valentine sold her first chair in 1959 and became particularly recognized for her chairmaking. Working primarily in fine hardwoods such as mahogany and walnut, she recreated furniture in styles ranging from William and Mary and Queen Anne to Chippendale, frequently incorporating textile upholstery. Valentine was associated with International Miniature Artists (IMA) and was later recognized as a Fellow of the International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA).

Eloise greatly admired Valentine’s work, and the number of her pieces preserved in the collection reflects that appreciation. These chairs are wonderful examples of the historically inspired furniture that drew Eloise to the work of accomplished individual artisans.

✨ Visit the Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures to see the work of Betty Valentine and thousands more remarkable pieces from Eloise’s extraordinary collection.

📅 The gallery is open by appointment during the summer months.

📧 Contact [email protected] to schedule your visit.

💛 Like, follow, and share to help others discover these tiny treasures!

08/13/2026

Tiny Treasures Thursday✨

This week we turned our attention to food—and with hundreds of food-related pieces in the Eloise Kruger Collection, there was plenty on the menu!

We created 23 additional catalog records, bringing our total to 4,428 records documenting Eloise’s remarkable collection.

Among this week’s selections are bananas tucked into a wooden crate, strips of bacon arranged on a serving dish, a golden roasted poultry in a pan, a colorful molded gelatin salad, and an impressively detailed hors d’oeuvres platter filled with vegetables, eggs, olives, and other bite-sized foods.

These photographs show just a few of the food items cataloged this week. With hundreds more still waiting to be documented, watch for food to make another appearance in a future Tiny Treasures Thursday!

✨ Visit the Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures to discover these and thousands more remarkable pieces from Eloise’s collection.

📅 The gallery is open by appointment during the summer months.

📧 Contact [email protected] to schedule your visit.

💛 Like, follow, and share to help others discover these tiny treasures!

In a collection this vast and eclectic, we never know what we’ll uncover next.

Documenting the artistry, one object at a time.

08/10/2026

Miniature Monday✨

Sometimes a maker's story is just as interesting as the objects themselves.

Today's featured pieces are two Dol-Toi furnishings from England: a cabinet with working glass doors and a three-tier shelf, both probably made from beech. Their straightforward construction are characteristic of the practical dolls' house furniture for which Dol-Toi became known.

Dol-Toi began in England in 1944, when Eric William Green and George H. C. C. Hind found an ingenious use for wood left over from their construction business: they turned the scraps into dolls' house furniture. The idea developed into Dol-Toi Products of Stamford, which became a familiar name in British dolls' houses. Much of the company's wooden furniture was made from solid beech, and surviving pieces are known for sturdy construction, functional details, and occasional variations that give them plenty of character.

These two unassuming pieces are another wonderful example of the variety Eloise Kruger brought together in her collection—from individually crafted artisan works to furnishings produced by important names in the history of the dolls' house.

Want to learn more about Dol-Toi? Check out the Brighton Toy and Model Museum’s Dol-Toi history page at this link: https://www.brightontoymuseum.co.uk/index/Category:Dol-Toi

✨ Visit the Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures to see these Dol-Toi furnishings and thousands more pieces from Eloise's extraordinary collection.

📅 The gallery is open by appointment during the summer months.

📧 Contact [email protected] to schedule your visit.

💛 Like, follow, and share to help others discover these tiny treasures!

Address

660 N 12th Street, OLDH 831
Lincoln, NE
68588

Telephone

(402)4722411

Website

https://krugercollection.unl.edu/

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