The first known exhibit of her work occurred in 1932. The high unemployment of the Great Depression made it possible for her to hire workers with highly specialized skills. Most of her exhibitions were private, held to raise funds for local charitable causes, but at the Century of Progress Exposition in 1933, Thorne's works were publicly exhibited in a dedicated building. Subsequent public exhibits included the Art Institute of Chicago and the New York World's Fair of 1940. In 1936, she received a request to make a miniature library depicting a room at Windsor Castle, to mark the planned coronation of Edward VIII ; although the coronation never occurred, she delivered the room and it was displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum.