#colleen moore's fairy castle

[theinternetisaweboflies]

Maileg Mouse Prince visits Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle

[flapperdame16]

msi colleen moore's fairy castle library 2024-05-25 MSI

[vampyre-merrow]

[myemuisemo]

In "How Watson Learned the Trick," my cinnamon roll Dr. Watson runs afoul of "when you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras."

Had a potential client shown up unshaven, would Holmes' first thought have been that he had sent his razor to be sharpened, or that he was in grave emotional distress? Sure, for a murder victim, he would have sniffed around the victim's home, looking for a razor next to a shaving mug, or for some sign that the victim had a daily barber visit. But on a quick scan?

More potent than outrage in getting me to say a few words about this week's Letters from Watson is that the story was written to be a miniature book in Queen Mary's Dollhouse.

This was a massive 1920s dollhouse project, planned mostly by George V's cousin to amuse Queen Mary (the former May of Teck). Many, many famous authors contributed a story.

Official site

The library, specifically

Modern books for the library, in honor of the 100th anniversary

The era between the two World Wars had a startling little fad of rich people creating very elaborate dollhouses. Extant ones include:

Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle

Titania's Palace (started earlier, finished in 1922)

The Stettheimer Dollhouse

The Thorne Rooms

If you were part of the right circles, you could round up your famous friends and get them to do miniature versions of their famous works. This history of dollhouses argues that the original purpose of the houses was not to be a toy (which came later) but to be a means of displaying the owners' wealth and taste.

By Holmes' era, dollhouses (or dolls' houses in the UK) were definitely toys for little girls, so the 1920s reversion to using them to show off taste and wealth is notable.

[shakespearefreak]

So I know it's summer, just about as far from December as we can get, but I'm too excited about my new acquisition to wait! I've been looking for the November/December 1993 issue of American Girl Magazine for a couple years now. I found one on Mercari a while back and added it to my Liked items, but it was $25, and I just couldn't quite justify spending that amount on a magazine, no matter how old it was or how many fond memories I had of it. Anyways, I got an offer from the seller for $16.37 a few days ago and decided to pull the trigger.

It was pouring rain on and off all day today, and I wasn't able to check the mail right away when I got the notification that it had been delivered. I live in an apartment building, and the front door is locked, so delivery drivers usually just leave packages outside. I was so anxious, picturing a cardboard envelope sitting there for hours, getting soaked and ruining the contents. But when I finally checked the mail, I discovered the seller had sent it in a watertight, plastic bubble mailer! The package had some mud and water on the outside, but the magazine itself was absolutely perfect. I got the newest AG catalog in my mailbox today, too, and I compared the two... the 30-year-old magazine was as bright and crisp as the brand-new catalog!

Anyways, I (very carefully) paged through it right away, rediscovering my old favorite articles and stories that I'd read and re-read so many times as a kid, my original magazine had fallen apart: an article on the Colleen Moore's incredible miniature fairy castle at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (which I later got to see myself in person!); Samantha's short story "The Mystery of the Black Pearls," in which Nellie (pre-adoption) is accused of stealing a valuable necklace from her employer; an article about the Nutcracker Ballet, its young stars, and behind-the-scenes special effects magic that had me dancing around my house, dreaming of playing Clara like the article's subjects (who were just a little older than me!); and Hans Christian Anderson's lovely but tragic tale "The Little Match Girl," with gorgeous illustrations by Rachel Isadora (it never occurred to me until today how strange it was to include a story about a little girl freezing to death in a magazine for little girls)... I was surprised to feel tears prick my eyes as I went through. Anyway, I'm SO HAPPY, it was worth every penny. Now I just need to buy a clear display envelope to put it in so it stays as beautiful as it is now! 💖

[fictionadventurer]

Because the beautiful photo set of Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle didn't include images of the chapel, you get my terrible cell phone pics!

The first image is a glimpse through a window that lets you see the high altar--confirmation that these fairies are Roman Catholic! The tabernacle actually contains a relic of the True Cross that was given to Colleen Moore by a friend.

The second image is a full view from the side, which gives a much better look at the insane artistry involved.

[highkingpetermagnificent]

24 in 2024

I meant to do this in January, but life keeps marching on despite my efforts. I stole this from @aliteraryprincess because it just looks fun!! This is 24 books I want to read in 2024 (not including ones I've already read or am currently reading.) These are in no particular order.

Bronze Drum, Phong Nguyen (fiction) (already own, just unread)

Lady Chatterley's Lover, D.H. Lawrence (classic)

Edward IV: A Source Book, Keith Dockray (nonfiction) (already own, just unread)

Lavinia, Ursula K. Le Guin (fiction) (already own, just unread)

Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation, Linda Villarosa (nonfiction)

Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives, Michael Strmiska (nonfiction) (already own, just unread)

She Would Be King, Wayétu Moore (fiction) (already own, just unread)

The Peacekeeper, B.L. Blanchard (fiction) (already own, just unread)

Tress of the Emerald Sea, Brandon Sanderson (fiction)

Medieval York, D.M. Palliser (nonfiction)

She Had Some Horses, Joy Harjo (poetry) (already own, just unread)

The Mysteries of Udolpho, Ann Radcliffe (classic) (already own, just unread)

Object Lessons: The Life of the Woman and the Poet in Our Time, Eavan Boland (essays?) (already own, just unread)

Noblewomen, Aristocracy and Power in the Twelfth-Century Anglo-Norman Realm, Susan M. Johns (nonfiction) (already own, just unread)

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot, Mikki Kendall (nonfiction)

Katherine Parr: Complete Works and Correspondence, Katherine Parr (essays/letters) (already own, just unread)

Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Sue Lynn Tan (fiction) (already own, just unread)

Blood and Roses: One Family's Struggle and Triumph During the Tumultous Wars of the Roses, Helen Castor (nonfiction) (already own, just unread)

If I Were Another: Poems, Mahmoud Darwish (poetry)

Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised, Alice Te Punga Somerville (poetry)

Black Swim, Nicholas Goodly (poetry)

Sight Lines, Arthur Sze (poetry)

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States, Samantha Allen (nonfiction) (already own, just unread)

Within the Fairy Castle: Colleen Moore's Doll House, Terry Ann R. Neff (idk how to label this, this is my last pick just for fun) (already own, just unread)

If you want to do this, steal it from me and tag me!

[abbyzwrites]

What part of your story always draws you into it?

When it comes to most stories, I’m usually drawn in by interesting characters or plot hooks happening pretty early on. I love having mysteries to solve and people to figure out.

For my own story, I think the thing I’m most proud of that (hopefully) draws people in is the manor in which it takes place.

The manor is modeled after Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle (a doll house castle currently on display at MSI in Chicago) and contains references to fairytales, myths, and legends that come into play throughout the story.

[theinternetisaweboflies]

[flapperdame16]

2024-05-25 MSI colleen moore fairy castle

[iceeericeee]

in the spirit of being tiny, i would like to recommend colleen moore's fairy castle. we go see it every time we're in chicago and i desperately want to live in it.

when it was first built in the twenties, the pipes actually carried filtered water, and a lot of the chandeliers are made out of her grandmother's jewelry. it's amazing and i want to live in it. i would love if they'd make a perspective video with a little camera going through all the rooms

FHJSJDJS THIS LOOKS SO CUTE ID LITERALLY KILL TO BE ABLE TO LIVE JN THIS OMG

[cleolinda]

Weekend links, March 25 2023

My posts:

Varney the Vampire: Chapter 4: The Vampyres of Norway can be revived by moonlight

Varney the Vampire: Chapter 5: "I've killed it again!" BANG!

Perfume: Hello Kitty (Sanrio, 1987)

Perfume: Brief initial reaction to Chanel No. 5

Why do creators not want to read fanfiction of their own work? Why one writer doesn't want to, and why I am really glad one show didn't when I was 14. Spoiler: it's legal issues, and the fact that I would have truly believed I had a case.

On housecleaning with ADHD: talking to yourself, accomplishment dopamine, and the I Don't Know Box

A two-post ramble about Zoom, listening to your recorded voice, reading aloud, self-image, and making friends with yourself.

From r/BestofRedditorUpdates: But when she said that, it hit me. I had a choice.

Reblogs of interest:

Video essays about horror, fear and dread

Survival Mode on Watcher: Poppy Playtime

Colleen Moore’s fairy tale castle dollhouse

"'I've got Lestat,' Mr. Copeland said, 'and I'm going to keep him'"

Chuck Tingle on late diagnoses: Your trot is valid, which I want embroidered on something

Tag that was particularly good this week: Art

[aimmyarrowshigh]

I know this is a super broad question, but; I'm in Chicago this weekend for MPCA/ACA and was wondering if you have any recommendations on what I could do in my freetime? Any smaller/niche museums or bookstores or whatever. Anything you think is interesting/nerdy. And food, of course! Food recommendations are always good :)

Oh man, I wish I had less touristy answers to give you, but I live just enough outside of the city that I mostly do touristy kinds of things when I go down there, and I've only been once since the 2020, so a lot of my answers aren't open anymore/didn't survive the pandemic.

BUT: I do have one that's not touristy! If you're into crafting or found objects at all, there's a secondhand crafts supply store called The WasteShed on Kimball Ave. that's very cool. My favorite thing there are the collections of donated old family photos and slides that people just sort of... give away, when someone in their family dies and they don't want to keep the personal effects(?????). I found an amazing pair of gorgeous family portraits from 1928 in Tokyo last time I was there. The family's names, ages, and the date are all written on the back in both Japanese and English. I'm glad those portraits didn't go into the landfill. But I'm a Small History person who loves things like ephemera. They also have tons of stuff for every type of art or craft imaginable!

Greektown also used to be super cool, but I don't know whether it still is. AFAIK the big tentpoles all didn't survive the pandemic, so don't quote me on that one.

I'm also always going to hype the fairy castle at the Museum of Science & Industry. It was created by and for Colleen Moore, the flapper and silent film star, and she used to tour the country with it to show at children's hospitals. It's fucking amazing. There's a 1" actual Guttenberg bible in there. There's a polar bear rug made of mink and mouse teeth. There's mother-of-pearl chairs made from her earrings from the set of a movie. There used to be running water on the Weeping Willow, but they had to turn off the water in the '90s because it was eating through the materials after 70 years. It's truly my favorite dollhouse, and I've seen the Nutshell Studies.

...I also love American Girl Place but that's literally just a me thing. I also sort of hate-love it, because they have Lost Their Way Severely.

I also am a big fan of the Field Museum -- I know, I know, museums evil, but it does genuinely seem like they're trying to course-correct and make amends -- and the Shedd Aquarium (same). You can touch a manta ray. You can see otters. You can smell penguins. I mean, you can also see them, but boy can you smell them. And Sue (the t-rex at the Field) is an unofficial Chicago mascot.

This is a good list of cool bookstores in the city, which I have to say I haven't explored as much as I should. I've been to a ton of cool bookstores in the Twin Cities, New York, and Staten Island, and some in the SF area and Seattle, but I haven't really explored the ones in Chicago too much because there used to be THE BEST children's/YA bookstore in my suburb and it was where I spent my entire life. This list looks like it has good options for many neighborhoods in the city, though, so wherever you're staying there should be something near-ish to you.

Which is kind of the other reason I haven't explored Chicago as much as other cities in which I've lived, despite living here the longest: public transit here FUCKING SUCKS and I hate city driving more than anything in the world. Maybe you'll have a better experience with the L than I ever do, though, so don't let me being terrible at the L put you off trying it out. I just am not good at it. I can do the subway! I can do trams and the Skyway! I can do street maps okay! I cannot do the L. Somehow every single time I try, I miss a stop and have to circle all the way around again.

Ooh, one other fun thing I did in like 2019 in the city was go ax-throwing, so if you want to try that, they have that right near the symphony building. That's surprisingly fun and not scary.

Food-wise, Chicago is full of good food. Pretty much everything I've ever eaten in the city was great, from the popcorn at Union Station (YOU MUST GET THE CHEDDAR AND CARAMEL MIX AT UNION STATION. IT IS THE BEST POPCORN.) to the $600+ per plate price fixe at Alinea (the only good thing I ever got from an ex). I feel like Sam @copperbadge has a more "a la minute" (hyuk hyuk) set of opinions about Chicago dining than I do -- like I said, a lot of the places that I really liked didn't survive the pandemic or they're outside of the city itself.

Oh! And it is sort of touristy but also very nerdy: the International Museum of Surgical Science. There's an exhibit right now about Frankenstein!

Honestly, looking at the MPCA/ACA website, I'm just jealous you get to be doing/seeing that all weekend. I feel like that's the nerdiest and most fun-seeming ticket in town. What are you there to present or see specifically?? I'm so intrigued!

[rookiek13]

Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle, Museum of Science and Industry 03/23/23.

Mom couldn't go. Here's the photos. Love you mom.

[dog-walks-plants]

$1M Magic Cozy Fairy Castle At Chicago Museum

$1M Magic Cozy Fairy Castle At Chicago Museum

Notable, Ornate, and Magical There’s a new exhibit of focused on notable cozy fairy castle on display at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) and I’m all about it. The elaborate “dollhouse” was created by Early 20th Century Hollywood Actress, Colleen Moore(1899-1988). Memories at the Museum I used to love going to The MSI when I was younger. With family, I boarded an imaginary journey…

[greatwesternway]

Gives me the opportunity to point out that she has answered in the *spirit* but not the *letter* of the question, and I never miss an opportunity to nitpick as the Winton is, of course, an engine. I understand the assignment, however.

Also, to expand upon the idea of the Fairy Castle to get girls to come to the MSI, I actually think it was less to get them to come than to give them something once they were there. That is, Lennox Lohr, the director of the MSI at the time, was kinda changing things around because thus far the museum had not met expectation for visitation. Lohr started really pushing the idea of convincing the schools to do field trips, so really, the girls were going to come whether they wanted to or not.

Science and industry are full of possibility and opportunity for boys, but for girls? In the 40's? The place probably sounded like a snoozefest. But at least with the Fairy Castle, there would be something the girls would be excited to see.

Like, obviously girls can find science fascinating without being pandered to, but if your highest aspiration at the time is to be a wife and mother, maybe it doesn't hurt to have an example of something fanciful that was nonetheless the creation of artisans and craftsmen working together.

It bears mention that Lohr only even met Colleen Moore to ask for her dollhouse at the Chicago Railroad Fair (the very one our 999 and Pioneer were performing in the pageant of). She clearly had an interest in things outside of pretty dollhouses. Moore was quite industrious over her lifetime, branching into production, real estate, and stock brokerage. If nothing else, she was an example of possibility that there could be more for a young lady.

favorite non-engine exhibit at the MSI?

I see that you have sent a variant of this question to me and @greatwesternway so let me start by thanking you for that! Gives me the opportunity to point out that she has answered in the *spirit* but not the *letter* of the question, and I never miss an opportunity to nitpick as the Winton is, of course, an engine. I understand the assignment, however.

There are a few objectively good answers to this. I'll start by naming my runners-up as well since I'd be remiss in not mentioning them.

One I didn't expect to like as much as I do now is actually the Fairy Castle. When I was young I never really "got" this exhibit and might have even missed it on a couple of grade school field trips since it is neither science nor industry. In fact, on our last trip to the MSI, I asked DJ point-blank what she thought the castle was even doing here in the first place. DJ said, quite simply, that she thought it was a way to get girls to go to the museum at the time, and I couldn't argue with the logic. It's just a big dollhouse.

But the room it's in is very dark and - owing to the waning popularity of the exhibit - usually quiet, which is always welcome. The ambience is nice, and each side of the dollhouse has a directional speaker over it that narrates a little story (complete with airy music and soothing nature sounds) about each room and points your attention to specific objects inside it. When you allow yourself a moment to be immersed, it can actually be a novel experience.

The attention to detail can be genuinely breathtaking, and I think there's merit to having something like this around even if it doesn't necessarily fit the theme of the museum itself. And kids are still enjoying it to this day! When we went last, we were letting the small children in front of us inspect the garden when one of them turned to us and asked if we could see the fairy the narration was talking about, because he couldn't find it. It was very cute.

It's hard to indicate the scale of these things without seeing it in-person, but the larger rooms are big enough to stick your head inside. My favorite rooms are the bathrooms because the tubs have fake water in them. I love fake water.

Another one I make a point to stop in on when I'm there even though it objectively contributes nothing in its current state is Yesterday's Main Street, which I will show to the best of my ability. Because it's so dark down there, it photographs like dog ass so it's hard to really capture why I find it so charming in images alone.

Yesterday's Main Street puts you in the shoes of a 1910s Chicago resident where you walk along a (very, very wheelchair unfriendly) cobblestone street complete with curb and sidewalk past period-accurate storefronts and down to a little movie theater that shows a reel of 10 silent films on a loop.

It's another spot that's quiet, dark, and mostly disused. This doesn't rank higher because it's another exhibit that contributes very little to actual discussion about science and industry and hasn't been updated in probably 20 years or better. It feels dated, not vintage, and I suspect it will be on the chopping block very soon.

That said, I don't think it's a waste of space or anything. The MSI's traveling exhibit space often features things from popular film franchises, and there's room here to talk about early film as an industry or the ways in which a shopping district street from 1910 undergoes infrastructure changes in the course of 100 years. Like, this isn't a total swing and a miss, but it would need so much extra investment of time and money to bring it in line with current exhibit standards, I just don't think it's feasible. I'm very interested to see what is done with the space in the next 10 years or so.

Okay so after all that. What's my favorite non-engine exhibit at the MSI?

I don't think anyone expected this, but I have a few good reasons for why I chose YOU!. This is, in my opinion, the best example of the MSI's ability to modernize their science exhibits. There are a ton of little diversions and screen-based games but it also makes sure to incorporate the museum's history in a way I think is modern and sensitive while still being educational and fun.

If you know the history of the MSI, you'll know that body science has always been one of their primary interests. The giant walk-through heart was a cultural touchstone for children in Chicago, and anyone my age and older will remember it as a right of passage for any grade school science field trip.

It stood there for over 50 years! At some point, it stopped justifying the space it was taking up. What once impressed children in 1954 no longer lights up the eyes of the jaded youth of 2024. Or even 2004. The hard truth is it had to go. But the replacement circulatory system diagrams are interesting, in an open and inviting space, and make the inside of the human body seem much more natural and inviting and less... monolithic and intimidating. I think this is a good change.

The fetuses and body slices are a similarly positive change. The MSI has an extensive collection of real, human specimens which they have displayed in various ways over time. Not all of these were obtained in a way current societal standards would deem unobjectionable, but the fact is the samples are here now. Rather than hide them in storage, YOU! puts them in the best context they can and gives the spaces (in my opinion) both dignity and purpose. You can argue whether or not that's the correct thing to do, but I think there's value in having that discussion and using the exhibit as a vector to do so is another way in which I think YOU! is quite modern and educational.

It also has a "Create An Ad" game which prompts guests to think about the ways in which media can influence us, which is a pretty abstract concept to introduce in an exhibit that could easily just be about the mechanical functions of the body. Taking the idea of "you" as a person away from the esoteric and medical and into the realm of the real, the present, the everyday, is what childrens' museums should be all about. Also the game is fun!

Before the 2020 renovation of the Pioneer Zephyr exhibit, I think YOU! is the best example of the MSI taking their old, weird, sometimes controversial (and maybe even boring), stuff and updating it to be interesting and modern and fun again. It's old now, so there are some things that could use another overhaul, but it's much closer to what I think the ideal science exhibit at the MSI should look like.

Thanks for the ask!