When I was a little girl, I found a book in the library….
A side trip here. My mom was the librarian of my grammar school, which I’m sure is why I love libraries so much (apart from, you know, all the books). Thanks, Mum (waves at mom through the internet). So I’m not sure if the book I’m telling you about was in the school library, or in the Tampa Public Library which we also frequented, and I’ll tell you what — that one might have had more books, but it wasn’t nearly as good as our school library, seriously. All the books were hard to find (card catalogs, kids, these were perilous times..) and a lot of them hadn’t been checked out in years and smelled like cat pee.
… anyway, I found this marvelous book:
And I fell so hard in love, I just couldn’t stand it. Colleen Moore came from a wealthy, connected family and she knew architects, artists and artisans, designers… and they helped her create a miniature fairy castle (which cost a half million dollars in the 30’s, so you can imagine the opulence).
And it’s awesome. There are teeny working electrical lights, miniature Royal Doulton china, the world’s smallest printed bible. 2,500-year-old Roman statues. Silks, tapestries, murals and paintings signed by famous artists, color everywhere, and all just dripping with imagination… I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I think it was the first time I was seized by fantasy in this way — I was always captivated by story, but I don’t remember any distinctive fantasy stories lodged in me until this book, when I started making up my own stories about the people who lived in these rooms.
When I was older, we took a trip to Chicago and visited the castle in the Museum of Science and Industry. It was very cool to see it in person, but also, in the way of exhibits, it was a bit of a letdown — not because the castle itself was disappointing, but because the experience didn’t have the intimacy of all my hours with the photographs. Reading the book, I could be close to everything. I could stand in every room, imagine the process of creation while reading the text, see it come alive. But in the exhibit, standing at an appropriate public don’t-touch distance behind a barrier — well, that says it all, really.
And so I remember best the castle of the book. But it’s still in the museum, and through the magic of the interweb you can see it up close and personal too. (Be sure to click through all the tabs — under the “Exhibit” tab there is a series of photos of the rooms.)
Go take a look. Tell yourself a story while you’re there.
There’s also this photo set, which has some great details—like the room with the polar bear rug, closeups of stained glass windows, etc.
I have a couple of friends who are stop-motion animators. I saw this castle some years ago in one of the books they have. I love loitering their studio when they’re producing a short film. I get to watch how they create all the little props and furniture and architecture (miniature brick by miniature brick) for their sets. It’s magic and alchemy. I was always so afraid to touch anything and break the spell, yet I couldn’t refuse the brush when they asked me to help add more dirt or color to this or that corner of a wall. I’ve tried to persuade them not to take the wonderful spaces apart when they’re done shooting, but they never listen. Next time I’ll take pictures.
Kelley, you are so right about feeling compelled to tell stories about those who live in those spaces. I just thought of one. Maybe I’ll write it.