8-11-14: Royal Privilege

[xoxoxoBruce]

OK, we all know it's good to be the King... until they drag out the Guillotine anyway.
Not only the King, but the entire, often extended, royal family. The Czar's kids had some cool toys, so did the Rajah's kids, but none can hold a candle to Britain's Royal families. You'd expect the children of the Royal's to have hot and cold running nannies, the best of tutors, and the latest comforts, however Queen Mary's dollhouse is over the top.



It seems a famous architect, Edwin Lutyens, was having a glass of wine with Princess Marie Louise, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who asked him to build a dollhouse for her cousin, Queen Mary. When Royals tell you they want you to do something, is it still a "request"? On one hand you know they can afford it, on the other, if you screw up you might be a piss-boy for life.

It took 1,500 artists and craftsmen three years to make the five foot high house. It has working plumbing, electricity and lifts, and a garage of cars with engines that run. The monograms on the linen took a seamstress 1,500 hours to sew; the buttons on the servants’ pillowcases are almost invisible; the Purdey shotguns break and load, the bottles and jars contain what their labels say they do—such as Ch. Margaux 1899, Oxford marmalade or sticks of barley sugar. There are even mice in the kitchen mousetraps. It contains scores of its household objects and features—wineglasses, mother-of-pearl, ivory and marble bathrooms, damask wall-coverings, a motorcycle and sidecar, a knife-cleaning machine and paintings on its walls and ceilings. It even has a well-stocked wine cellar.

C'mon, you know I had to screen grab the garage.
You can take a virtual tour here.

Since Mary was born in 1867, crowned Queen in 1910, died in 1953, while the doll house was completed in 1924, I don't think she played with it much. But because of the fantastic detail, it's a wonderful record of British furnishings and treasures from around the empire, of the era's hoi polloi.

[Diaphone Jim]

I assume the guy on the left is raising the outer walls so that the interior is visible.
I have an image of Margaret Houlihan screaming in the shower.

[glatt]

That doll house was on display at Windsor castle when I toured it a couple years ago. My favorite part was the garage.

[xoxoxoBruce]

It blows my mind that the shelves of books are individual books, the wine cellar had bottles of real wine, the bathrooms have soap and toilet paper. I wonder what it cost, even in 1920s money the budget must have been staggering.

[Sheldonrs]

There was a PBS special about the royal family and they showed this house then. It has lots of storage drawers for the dolls, etc. as well.
And a sliding tray for the gardens.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I forgot to check Wiki...

Princess Marie Louise had many connections in the arts and arranged for the top artists and craftsmen of the time to contribute their special abilities to the house. ~snip~ It was created as a gift to Queen Mary from the people..

OK, that means the people paid for it, not the Royals.

...and contains models of products of well-known companies of the time. It is remarkable for its detail and the detail of the objects within it, many of which are 1/12 replicas of items in Windsor Castle. These were either made by the companies themselves, or by specialist modelmakers, such as Twining Models of Northampton, England.

So if you wanted to bolster your company or product's street cred, or if you wanted to do any more business with the rich&famous, it would be a good idea to have a 1/12th model made to donate to the project. That's even better than tax deductible.

Queen Mary's purchases brought media attention to specialist furnishers such as Dorothy Rogers, who created needlework miniature carpets for the house.

And publicity about the miniature reminds people... Queen Mary bought this sham-wow, you should to.

I'm not knocking this project at all, I think it's an incredible representation of the art/craft/opulence of the time... an undisputable historic record. But I'm always amused by the methods of convincing people they are just dying to contribute to a gift for someone who could buy and sell them.

[SPUCK]

Really amazing. Over the top or at least 1/12th over the top.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Maybe dollhouses are like bathing suits, the smaller they are, the more they cost.

[Sheldonrs]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Maybe dollhouses are like bathing suits, the smaller they are, the more they cost.

I hear it's the same thing with condoms. Right Bruce?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Damifino, I've no use for them unless they're cheaper than the balloons used to get kids in the van if the free candy doesn't work.

[Sheldonrs]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Damifino, I've no use for them unless they're cheaper than the balloons used to get kids in the van if the free candy doesn't work.

I thought you switched to bunnies and puppies.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Damn kids kept stealing 'em, and the SPCA makes you pay for the damn things they were gonna gas anyway. Thought I could recoup by eating them, but when the little blighters stole 'em, it nearly bankrupted me.

[Sheldonrs]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Damn kids kept stealing 'em, and the SPCA makes you pay for the damn things they were gonna gas anyway. Thought I could recoup by eating them, but when the little blighters stole 'em, it nearly bankrupted me.

If the kids are small enough, a freshly dead bunny or puppy looks like it's sleeping...or so I've been told.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Used a dead animal to trick the children into my soundproof padded van? You sick bastard.

[Sheldonrs]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Used a dead animal to trick the children into my soundproof padded van? You sick bastard.

I never said the van was padded, you wimp!!!