Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle

 Over December break, we took a quick trip out to Chicago. We hadn't been there before, and we had tickets to see Phantom of the Opera on stage (my 3rd time, Eric's 2nd time, and John's first time seeing it).

While we were in the city, we had a long list of all the places we wanted to go and see, but the top of mine was the Museum of Industry, and that is because of the incredible dollhouse inside it.

Colleen Moore was an actress in the 20s, who became pretty successful in the silent films of the era. She had the classic flapper look like Clara Bow and Louise Brooks:

She had a lifelong love of dolls and miniatures, so when she started becoming successful, her father suggested that she use some of her newfound money to commission a dollhouse that would be a real work of art. So, she did. She hired architects and master builders to create a medieval style castle.

  

The castle has an art noveau, fairy tale aesthetic, and pays homage to famous stories such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Wizard of Oz, and more.Indeed, the tiny library inside has real books written by noted authors such as  F Scott Fitzgerald and George Bernard Shaw.

The rooms inside are nothing short of extraordinary! My pictures don't do them justice:

I could have stayed in that room all day, looking at all the details and getting inspired.

My dream is that someday, my Great Gatsby mansion will be on display somewhere, with people marveling at the detail and craftsmanship, and literary influence.

It was also validating to see such an incredible work of art, which is meant to inspire not just imagination, but play, and think that you don't have to outgrow dolls, or toys in general.

I read something recently that was along the lines of "growing up doesn't mean becoming a different person, it's returning to the person you were before societal pressure, limitations and fear shaped your identity."