Small Worlds: The Miniatures of Nancy Shane

In the early 1970s Nancy Shane (1933-2014), a long-time resident of Wenham, MA, developed an interest in miniatures when she was gifted a dollhouse kit from her husband. Over the proceeding years she studied architecture and design, and became adept at building small worlds, ultimately even teaching others the techniques she had mastered. 

She won several prizes for her miniatures at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s annual Flower and Garden Show during the 1980s and 1990s. To help promote the art form she even established the Nancy Shane Prize for best miniature garden box.  In addition, Nancy traveled extensively to shows and conventions for miniature enthusiasts in the US and Europe. Her personal collection grew to more than fifty houses and room boxes that were displayed all over her house. 

Her work was featured in many publications, including Miniature Collector and The Boston Globe, and in 2011 the Wenham Museum exhibited more than thirty of her pieces. As she said at the time to the Salem News, “I love sharing them. There’s no point in [making them if I’m] not sharing them.”

As you may note when you take a closer look at her work here, these pieces aren’t exactly dollhouses – there are in fact no dolls in them at all. Populated only by cats (and a few dogs), Nancy’s goal was to give the viewer the impression that the people in the small worlds she made had just stepped away and will be back at any moment. Half-drunk mugs of coffee, paint brushes soaking in jars but not yet cleaned, precariously piled packages, etc. are all hallmarks of her unique style. In addition, nods to her sense of humor, which could occasionally be a bit dark, can be found throughout her work, if you look closely enough.