Little girls love their dollhouses. But when a dollhouse looks like Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle, it is elevated from a mere toy to a museum-worthy creation. This fantasy dollhouse is on display at Chicago’s Museum of Science + Industry. The Fairy Castle dollhouse belonged to silent era actress Colleen Moore. The yesteryear actress was known for her interest and exceptional taste in miniature art, the dollhouse being a fine example.
The castle is divided into 12 areas – the drawing room, the great hall, the chapel, the library, the princess’ bathroom and bedroom, the prince’s bathroom and bedroom, the attic and the magic garden. The Princess’ bedroom brings back images of Sleeping Beauty and her bathroom has etched crystal walls that tell the tale of a water spirit named Udine. The prince’s bathroom is equally lavish with a gold washbasin set with sapphire and diamonds. His bedroom is based on the tale of Saltar, the Russian Little Czar. It even has a white bear rug on the floor.
The dining room evokes images of King Arthur’s round table. Notice the gold plates and cutlery, and crystal glasses. Meanwhile the drawing room is based on the Cinderella story, complete with a gold chandelier.
The silver throne in the chapel is a replica of that in Westminster Abbey. The vigil light is Moore’s mother’s engagement ring. And the Bible on the altar is a real Bible, albeit the smallest in the world. The sea-themed library also houses over 100 real books, many being handwritten ones. Meanwhile, the attic contains a mishmash of supposed leftover items from previous generations. This Fairy Castle dollhouse is priced at $500,000 – not much considering the generous sprinkling of gold, gemstones and priceless treasures.
