The charming Eloise Kruger Gallery of Miniatures is tucked away on the eighth floor of Oldfather Hall on the University of Nebraska’s city campus in Lincoln, Nebraska. This new location for the expansive collection in the School of Global Integrative Studies (as of 2022) serves as archival-quality storage along with exhibit space. During the last couple of years, the gallery was constructed and the process of cataloging, photographing, and digitizing the more than 20,000 miniatures continued.
Kruger, a lifetime Lincoln resident, began collecting miniatures in the 1930s. Passion for her hobby later developed into commissioning furniture, accessories, and textile pieces from well-known miniaturists and, in later years, also creating her own textile treasures. In 1997, shortly after her death, her complete miniature collection, almost entirely in 1:12 scale, along with an extensive library, was donated to the university. This splendid collection includes many pieces of handcrafted textiles including embroidery, crochet, petit point, cross-stitch, and quilting, along with handwoven, knitted, latch hook, and hand-looped rugs. Currently, 20 room boxes with select pieces from her collection are on display for public viewing.
The Seamstress Room box. Photo by Sophia Perdikaris
Small-Scale Stitching
Eloise Kruger had many collecting interests, and textiles and the tools relating to the different types of handcrafting techniques for finished products held a prominent role. Her collection was so rich in miniatures showcasing fabrics, yarn, and handicrafts that the objects inspired the creation of the Seamstress Room box. In it, you can see quilting squares, bolts of fabric, embroidery floss, thread, and ribbons along with the implements necessary for the creation of finished works.
Kruger went beyond purchasing miniatures and commissioning pieces from her favorite artisans; she also created several textile pieces herself. The Silversmith Room box features two of her floor coverings: one a needlepoint rug with a schooner design and another an oval-shaped rug exhibiting a braiding technique.
Petit point originated in France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In the early years, it was used on coarser fabrics and over the centuries evolved to finer stitches, thinner threads, and more nuanced colors. The ultimate delicate example of the technique in its most fine form can be seen in a number of the miniatures in the Kruger collection, including the mahogany stand with a canvas showing a partially completed floral design in petit point tent stitch by miniaturist Eric Pearson. He was one of Kruger’s favorite miniaturists. This piece is currently on display in the Rococo Music Room box.
The Rococo Music Room also features a lovely handcrafted doily. Openwork doilies were a product of the Victorian era, when cotton thread started to be produced commercially. They soon gained in popularity and were used to protect wood tables from heat and water. In the same box, there is also a fine example of a needlework carpet (1964) by Lorna Meredith.
A glimpse of a rectangular petit point rug by Lorna Meredith (circa 1964).
Kruger’s handicraft can be seen on the mahogany Chippendale upholstered slipper chair that was carved by Eric Pearson. The needlepoint upholstery in the bargello pattern was stitched by Eloise Kruger. Bargello is a style of needlepoint made up of upright flat stitches arranged in geometric patterns.
Kruger enjoyed traveling and found many of the miniatures in her collection during her journeys. Her close connections with miniature creators gave her opportunities to grow her collection through purchasing and commissioning pieces. The Kruger collection contains dozens, possibly hundreds, of textile miniatures. Many pieces are by unknown makers.
A Chippendale slipper chair (1968), oval braided rug, and hand-crocheted doily.
Space limitations in the gallery allow only a very small sampling of this expansive collection to be viewed at any given time. The Kruger miniatures are a true treasure. Whether the focus is textiles, furniture, or furnishings, they are visually beautiful and versatile. They can be enjoyed for their beauty and craftsmanship, they show an appreciation for a style and an era, and, more than anything, they educate.
The miniatures in the gallery’s room boxes showcase diverse themes such as forensics, architecture, interior design, history, classics, and more. They are enriched by a variety of handstitched and handcarved pieces—a testament to infinite patience and artistry. Visit the website to find out more about these projects and for an appointment to visit this collection when your travels take you to Lincoln, Nebraska.
Interested in learning more about miniatures? This article and more small things can be found in the Winter 2024 issue of PieceWork.
Also, remember that if you are an active subscriber to PieceWork magazine, you have unlimited access to previous issues, including Winter 2024. See our help center for the step-by-step process on how to access them.
Resources
- For more about Eloise Kruger, see PieceWork September/October 2009.
- For more about the Eloise Kruger Collection of Miniatures, visit sgis.unl.edu/kruger-collection.
Sophia Perdikaris, PhD, is an environmental archaeologist working on the island of Barbuda in the West Indies. She has created several exhibits in Barbuda, at the Venice Biennale, and at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL). At UNL, she is director of the School of Global Integrative Studies, professor of anthropology, and director of the Kruger Gallery.
Linda Kohlstaedt, BA, spent nearly two decades teaching English as a second language in Hawaii before moving to Nebraska. She is currently the Kruger Gallery collections manager. She enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, estate sales, and miniatures.