The Royal Collection: Queen Mary´s Dolls´ House: The most famous and beautiful dolls' house in the world

Queen Mary's Dolls' House is the largest, most beautiful and most famous dolls' house in the world. Built between 1921 and 1924 for Queen Mary, consort of George V, by the leading British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, it includes contributions from over 1,500 of the finest artists, craftsmen and manufacturers of the early twentieth century.

From life below stairs to the high-society setting of the saloon and dining room, and from a library bursting with original works by the top literary names of the day, to a fully stocked wine cellar and a garden, created by Gertrude Jekyll, no detail was forgotten. The house even includes electricity, running hot and cold water and working lifts. Each room is fully furnished and waiting to be explored.

" It is built to outlast us all. To carry on into the future and different world this pattern of our own. It is a serious attempt to express our age and to show forth in dwarf proportions the limbs of our present world ".

A.C. BENSON, THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S DOLLS' HOUSE (1924)

Planning the house

The house was the concept of Princess Marie Louise, cousin to King George V and childhood friend of Queen Mary.

She decided that the queen, who loved all things diminutive and decorative, would enjoy the house and it was to become a gift to Queen Mary in the years after the First World War. The architect was Sir Edwin Lutyens, a friend of the princess. Between them, they created a committee that decided on the style of the house and ensured that all its contents were of the highest possible quality and all perfectly to scale.

Miniature portrait of Sir Edwin Lutyens commissioned for the Library in Queen Mary's Dolls' House

The committee decided that the house should be a collaborative venture with the cost and labour to be divided between as many people as possible. In order to get contributors on board, Lutyens held regular 'Dolleluiah Dinners' at the Savoy. These events proved successful and the completed house was the product of 250 craftsmen and manufacturers, 60 artist-decorators, 700 artists, 600 writers and 500 donors (many still household names today).

The house was to be shown at the Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1924 and the committee determined that the house be a showcase for British workmanship. As such, the contents of the house were created by craftsmen from all over the country, showing off the best arts and crafts of the day. The house was displayed at Wembley for seven months and over this period more than 1.5 million people visited it. In July 1925 it was moved to Windsor Castle, where it was situated in a room designed by Lutyens and where it can be visited today.

Queen Mary's Dolls' House. Royal Collection Trust / Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020

Lutyens designed the house in the full Palladian style. He drew inspiration from Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren and his initial sketches differed little from the first completed model. He insisted that the house should be viewed from all sides and his first letters to Princess Marie Louise were concerned with the mechanism for lifting the outer shell of the house above the rooms to ensure this.

First Floor Plan: Queen Mary's Doll House c.1923

Houses from every period of British history were considered from Anglo-Saxon to Tudor and from pure fantasy to ultra-modern. In the end it was decided that the house should be a representation of the type of house a king and queen might live in if 'off duty'. It was not to be a palace but a great Edwardian town house with every modern convenience.

Queen Mary's Dolls' House: section showing the King's bedroom signed & dated May 1921

The house has been described as the only untouched Lutyens interior in existence. Lutyens suggested the colour schemes for each room and in a letter to Princess Marie Louise he insisted that carpets should not be made until the colours were selected and ceilings were complete. He also designed many of the furnishings himself. Some of these, such as the Napoleon chair, are still produced today.

Lutyens's sense of humour is also wonderfully demonstrated in this drawing, which shows a maid in the bath!

ROYAL CHAMBERS

The King's and Queen's respective suites can be accessed on the second floor, via the marble staircase. Each room contains articles and decorations particular to the owner's needs. The ceiling of the King's Bedroom was painted by George Plank, who subtly interwove the notes to the first line of the National Anthem into a garden trellis.

The King's Bedroom. Royal Collection Trust / Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020

The walls of the Queen's Bedroom are covered in blue-grey damask, reflecting the style of the 1920s. Both beds have mattresses of horsehair on top of a box-sprung mattress and hotwater bottles have been placed beneath the sheets.

Queen Mary's Dolls' House. Royal Collection Trust / Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020

Cartier Longcase clock 1924

The royal chambers are accessed via the marble staircase, at the foot of which sits this longcase clock. It was designed by Lutyens and made by Cartier. Its face and movements are copied from a seventeenth century clock by clockmaker Thomas Tompion.

Cabinet on stand 1924

This lacquer cabinet to the right of the fireplace in the Queen's Bedroom opens to show five drawers inside, each with an individual working lock.

FABERGÉ Mouse 1924

The acquisition of this nephrite mouse with diamond eyes predates the house. It was presented to Queen Mary by George V's cousin, the Grand Duchess Xenia. Queen Mary wished it to be placed in the Queen's Bedroom, which she described in at least one of her letters as 'my bedroom'.

WEAVING SCHOOL FOR CRIPPLED GIRLS, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON Carpet 1924

This carpet was woven by 'Weaving School for Crippled Girls', Stratford-upon-Avon. The school was founded in the 1890s to teach weaving at the handloom, spinning, carding, dyeing and tapestry.

Cold cream 1924

A pot of cold cream sat on top of the queen's dressing table; this was one of the few cosmetics used by respectable women of the period.

Miniature chest of drawers c.1790

Queen Mary placed some very personal family items in the house. This miniature chest of drawers is engraved with the Hanoverian coat of arms and previously belonged to Mary, Duchess of Teck, Queen Mary's mother.

BOLDING, J. & SONS Commode chair 1924

Queen Mary was delighted to find that the flushing mechanism of the lavatory cistern in the bathroom actually worked. However, the pipes of the house are the only inclusion not built to scale, as following the 1:12 ratio of the rest of the house would not allow for water to pass through.

BRIGG & SON'S Umbrella 1924

This umbrella in the Queen's Wardrobe was made by Briggs and Sons. Its amber handle matches one of the Briggs walking sticks in the King's Wardrobe.

CHUBB Safe 1924

This safe made by Chubb and Sons, Lock and Safe Co. Ltd in the Queen's Wardrobe has working locks. Sir George Hayter Chubb later had painted metal replicas of the house made with lock and key and a slit in the roof to be used as children's money boxes. Queen Mary was so impressed that she asked for two dozen to be sent to Buckingham Palace.

SUTCLIFFE & SANGORSKI Letter rack 1924

Much of the queen's time was spent writing letters. As such, the diminutive desk in her bedroom has fountain pens, packets of crested writing paper, envelopes and a desk blotter.

BRITISH Dressing table mirror 1924

On the queen's dressing table is a square mirror framed with real diamonds.

ROYAL SCHOOL OF NEEDLEWORK Tester bed 1924

This stately eighteenth-century style bed in the King's Bedroom was made by the Royal School of Needlework and donated by the school's founder, Princess Christian (the mother of Princess Marie Louise). The royal coat of arms is embroidered in silk at the head of the bed.

ROYAL WORCESTER PORCELAIN COMPANY LIMITED (1862- Set of vases and covers 1924

Each object in the dolls' house was carefully selected. For example, the porcelain factory at Worcester created two versions of a vase in plaster of Paris, which were sent to the committee for approval before the final shape was chosen for inclusion.

BRITISH Shooting stick 1924

The King's Wardrobe contains all the accessories of a gentleman. Shooting sticks provide much needed rest during a day of hunting in the field. This model was made by Purdey, gun-maker to the royal family. The seat hinges up to become a handle. This was known as the 'King's Pattern' and it has a cipher and crown of brass.

WILKINSON SWORD COMPANY Sword and scabbard 1924

Wilkinson Sword Company were appointed Royal Gun Makers to George III in 1804. They contributed this sword and a cut-throat razor to the House.

Warming pan 1924

Each royal bed in the house was equipped with a copper warming pan.

Nail brush 1924

This ivory nail brush in the King's Bathroom has the finest bristles available – hairs from inside a goat's ear! Also in the bathroom are real bars of white soap, a tube of toothpaste and a bottle of rose water.

FAMILY LIFE

When Queen Mary's Dolls' House went on show in the Empire Exhibition, it made it possible for the public to better imagine how family life was led within a Royal Household. The top floor of the house has two bedrooms, four lobbies and six rooms, all of which are filled with memorabilia of childhood and family life. Also on the top floor is the housekeeper's bed-sitting room and the linen room.

The Queen's Sitting Room

Family life is nowhere more apparent than in the Day Nursery, which is brimming with English and Indian toys and even a jar of real barley sugar sticks. The walls are covered in chinoiserie murals of fairy tales by Edmund Dulac, one of the most prominent illustrators of the 1880s to the 1920s. Dulac also painted the chinoiserie-style silk walls of the Queen's Sitting Room, where items such as an unfinished embroidery and cabinets of a jade figure collection give sense of the queen's leisure pursuits.

In households with a nursery, a 'nanny' played a crucial role. It was usual for the baby to sleep with the nanny, and the Night Nursery in the dolls' house has a grand bed (indicative of the level of respect) for the nanny, as well as a cradle for baby.

WINSOR & NEWTON [LONDON] Paintbox 1924

This silver Winsor and Newton watercolour paint box sits on the desk in the Queen's Sitting Room. These are actual paints and appear to have been used.

BRITISH Floral needlework 1924

The Queen's Sitting Room is set between the Princess Royal's Room and the Night Nursery. It is a very personal room that caters specifically to the queen's tastes. This piece of unfinished embroidery is casually draped on a chair.

SIR EDWIN LANDSEER LUTYENS (1869-1944) Bed 1924

The bed in the Princess Royal's Room was copied from Lutyens' design for his eldest daughter's bed, which in turn was inspired by the four-poster bed in Vittore Carpaccio's painting The Dream of St Ursula (1495). Although it has since disintegrated, an organic miniature pea once sat under the mattress.

Set of pneumonia jackets 1924

These padded and wool-lined gauze pneumonia jackets give insight into contemporary medical knowledge and were of the type worn to keep in the body heat of a child with pneumonia.

ALLEN & HANBURYS, LTD. Bynotone 1924

The Night Nursery contains the essentials for looking after children including this bottle of Bynotone vitamin food, a tin of Allenbury's Rusks infant food, Allenbury's 'milk food', a measuring jug and feeding bottle.

A JOUBERT radle and linen 1924

Called by Lutyens, 'the cradle for the Prince of the Blood', this cradle is made of ivory, Applewood and silver. The Prince of Wales's feathers adorn its hood while a silver guardian angel prays at its foot. It cost £30 and was donated by Mr F. A. Koenig, a Silesian banker Lutyens was also working for.

Radio cabinet 1924

The Day Nursery is complete with a wireless cabinet receiver. This model was a recent invention by the Thomson-Houston Company and was introduced in Britain in 1920.

POMONA TOYS Merry-go-round 1924

During the 1920s and 30s Pomona Toys of West London were very popular amongst wealthy families in Britain.

SALOON AND DINING ROOM

Despite George V and Queen Mary living, in the queen's words, a 'Darby and Joan' existence, the Dolls' House Dining Room was suited to entertaining on a grand scale. William Newton, the then editor of the Architectural Review, wrote of the Dining Room: 'It is a room where parade rather than nourishment is the first consideration'.

The Saloon

The silver in use and on display would have been accessed by the butler from the Strong Room on the lower mezzanine floor. Here, behind fully functional locking grill gates, a silver dinner service for 18 people is kept. When dining was not involved, the Saloon on the floor above would have been used for formal entertaining. Its suite of chairs and sofas are in the style of Louis XV, covered in incredibly minute petit point embroidery.

The Dining Room

CARTIER Screen 1924

Screen made from roundels resembling ganjifa playing cards which are traditionally from India and hand painted by artisans.

SIR EDWIN LANDSEER LUTYENS (1869-1944) Grand piano 1924

The focal point of the Saloon is the grand piano, designed by Lutyens and made by John Broadwood and Sons Ltd. Broadwood have held the Royal Warrant longer than any other warrant holder and were first appointed pianoforte manufacturer to George II. The piano was painted by Thomas Matthews Rooke in the style of his master, Edward Burne-Jones. Rooke painted a full-sized piano in this style in 1880; it is likely that Lutyens saw it and requested a miniature.

LIBRARY

" How many London residences, even in Berkeley Square and Park Lane, have a library consisting of two hundred books written in their authors' own hands, and a collection of over seven hundred watercolours by living artists? I doubt even if you could find the counterpart of these in the real Buckingham Palace ".

E.V. LUCAS, THE BOOK OF THE QUEEN'S DOLLS' HOUSE, 1924

In the 1920s, it was not unusual for the library within a household to manifest as a masculine combination of a gun room, study and smoking room. The Library in Queen Mary's Dolls' House reflects this contemporary trend. The room is paneled in walnut and provides the perfect environment for gaming, writing, reading or cigar-infused contemplation.

The Library

There are nearly 600 books in Queen Mary's Dolls' House at Windsor Castle. 176 are manuscripts by famous poets and authors of the 1920s, who copied in tiny handwriting work already published, or wrote new works specially for the library. Shelved alongside these are minuscule photograph albums, printed music scores reduced from works by some of the age's most well-known composers, and a world-class collection of miniature printed books. Over 700 postage-stamp sized pictures for the Library's tiny art portfolios were contributed by British and Irish artists. This miniature time-capsule of culture was put together by Princess Marie Louise, a cousin of King George V, and her friend, the writer E.V. Lucas.

HARDY BROTHERS LTD Book of fishing flies 1924

This miniature varnished snakeskin-covered book contains fishing flies.

JAQUES & SON : LONDON Chess table 1924

This rosewood chess table is an exact copy of a Chippendale table in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. It was made in 82 pieces and inlaid with rosewood and ivory squares.

Stamp album. c.1925

George V was a keen collector of stamps. This album contains reproductions of English and Colonial stamps.

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (1859-1930) How Watson learned the trick 1922

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) contributed a short story of 500 words in his own handwriting.

RUDYARD KIPLING (1865-1936) Verses 1922

Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) gave a book of several of his poems with special illustrations.

PRINTS AND PAINTINGS

To procure the art collection for Queen Mary's Dolls' House, Princess Marie Louise contacted 700 notable artists of the day, asking them to donate drawings, watercolours, sketches, etchings, lino prints and engravings. While some pieces were intended to adorn the walls, others were to be laid flat and stored in two cabinets in the library and drawers in the basement. The received artworks totalled 750 and covered a vast range of subjects and styles. Today those not on the walls are kept in the Print Room at Windsor Castle. One unfortunate absence is a self-portrait by Charlie Chaplin. In 1921 Chaplin encountered Lutyens at the Garrick Club and subsequently promised to donate a miniature portrait of himself. Lutyens was 'thrilled to Dolly Luyah' but the offered artwork never manifested.

'Sailing boat on the sea' by Charles Henry Baskett ( RCIN 926807 )

Paintings are not limited to those on miniature canvas. In many of the rooms, ceilings and walls are adorned with murals. Edmund Dulac (1882–1955) painted chinoiserie fairy tales on the walls of the Day Nursery. The ceiling of the King's Wardrobe shows female nudes painted by Wilfrid de Gelhn (1870–1951). Look upwards in the King's Bedroom and George Plank's (1883–1965) verdant garden trellis is marked by orange flowers with the notes of the National Anthem. Particularly impressive is the mural on the walls of the two halls linked by the Grand Staircase. This depiction of Adam and Eve being expelled from Eden was painted by William Nicholson (1872–1949), one of Lutyens's closest friends.

In addition, the House's collection includes 50 signed and unpublished music scores bound in leather and embossed with the queen's monogram. Musicians who contributed include Gustav Holst, Frederick Delius, Arthur Bliss, John Ireland and Arnold Bax. Only Sir Edward Elgar refused, furious at being asked to devote his artistic energy to something so 'trivial'.

'HRH Princess Marie Louise' by Alfred Praga (RCIN 927290)

HARRY MORLEY (1881-1943) The Connoisseurs c.1923

Three men around a table viewing prints/drawings(?), within interior with painting on easel to L, furniture etc. to R. Signed on reverse.

MOSTYN, TOM (1864-1930) "Romance" c.1923

Trees, flower beds, a pool in f/ground, and 2 figures standing in middle distance between 2 stone pillars. Title below, signed at lr.

CELLAR, KITCHEN AND PANTRY

Every domestic need is catered for in the dolls' house. There is a fully stocked cellar and pantry as well as a kitchen equipped to prepare a banquet. The act of choosing which brands to include was carefully considered. Agnes Jekyll (1861–1937), the sister of Gertrude (who designed the garden of the dolls' house) was in charge of the Kitchen stores. She wrote to Princess Marie Louise that it was best to involve only firms who already supplied the Royal Household to avoid upsetting manufacturers with shows of favouritism.

The Wine Cellar is well stocked. Over twelve hundred bottles of the finest champagnes, wines and spirits and beers were donated. They were chosen by Francis Berry, the senior partner of Berry Bros of St James's Street in London, today Britain's oldest wine and spirits merchant.

GUY'S HOSPITAL MECHANICS Set of patty pans 1924

Guy's Hospital Mechanics made these patty pans and other utensils out of pure gold so that they would not have to be polished.

TWINING MODELS, NORTHAMPTON Mincing machine 1924

Twining Model Co. made the mincer, weighing machine, and coffee grinder on the kitchen table. This mincer is made of solid nickel and turning the handle revolves the knives.

COLMAN, J. & J. CO. Colman's mustard 1924

BASS, RATCLIFF & GRETTON Crate of King's ale 1924

Bass ale was stored as staff refreshment. King's ale was first brewed in 1902 when Edward VII visited the Bass brewery.

GARDEN AND GARAGE

No stately home would be complete without a garage to keep a fleet of motorcars as well as a perfectly landscaped English garden.

On the west side of the house is a five-bay garage. All great British manufacturers of the day are represented – Daimler, Lanchester, Rolls-Royce, Sunbeam and Vauxhall. Each firm provided custom built models in the royal motor colours of maroon and black embossed with either a coat of arms or royal cipher. From 1900 to 1943, royal cars were made by Daimler, a tradition instigated by Edward VII. Today, The Queen's official cars are all made by Rolls-Royce.

On the east side of the house is a garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll, one of the most influential garden designers of the day. Jekyll collaborated with Lutyens on many of the gardens for his houses. She also contributed an aptly named book in miniature for the Dolls' House Library, The Garden. Each flower and tree is exactly to scale, botanically correct and based on studies at Kew Gardens. Attention to detail is flawless; each leaf on each tree was shaped by hand.

The Garage

The Garden

RUDGE-WHITWORTH LTD., COVENTRY Motorbike and sidecar 1924

Rudge motorcycles were made from 1911 to 1946. Rudge was known for its innovative engine design.

BRITISH PETROLEUM Mobile petrol pump 1924

It was not unusual for stately homes to have their own petrol pumps and fire safety equipment on hand. This portable petrol pump could be used to pump petrol either into or out of a car.

RUDGE-WHITWORTH LTD. COVENTRY Bicycle 1924

The breaks on this miniature bicycle actually work.

ROLLS ROYCE Silver Ghost seven-seater limousine-landaulet 1924

This is a scaled model of the 1923 40/50 HP Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost seven seater limousine-landaulet. It weighs 4 lbs whereas the full-scale version weighed 5,200 lbs.

CH PUGH Lawnmower 1924

The garden is equipped with many gardening tools including a spade, fork, axe, hoe, rake, garden roller and manual and petrol driven lawnmowers.

Blackbird in nest 1924

A minute blackbird in a nest is hidden away in a hedge.

STAFF ROOMS AND ESSENTIALS

The Servant's Room

After WW1, the number of domestic staff declined in Britain as better employment could be found in offices or factories. Large households realised that they needed to accommodate remaining servants with good facilities, modern technology and decent living quarters. Queen Mary's Dolls' House has all of these things. The staff rooms on the lower and upper mezzanine floors can only be accessed by the back staircase or the service lift. These rooms give an insight into the authentic ordinary life of household staff that has otherwise been lost to time. Each bed has a chamber pot underneath and a wire sprung mattress. Odontase toothpaste, bottles of Eno's Fruit Salts and washstand sets are found on dressing tables

SINGER SEWING MACHINE CO LTD Sewing machine 1924

The Singer sewing machine was invented in 1850 and soon became an essential; no household in the 1920s would be complete without one. This sewing machine is threaded, ready for use.

HOOVER Vacuum cleaner 1924

American innovations are also on show in the House. The Hoover was invented in America in 1901 but for decades after was only available to the upper classes in Britain.

ODONTASE Tube of toothpaste 1924

Tubes of Odontase toothpaste sit next to washstand sets.

Courtesy The Royal Collection. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020 https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/trails/queen-marys-dolls-house

Listen again to our podcast given by The Royal Collection Senior Curator of decorative arts, Kathryn Jones, as she introduces Queen Mary's Doll’s house, one of the many treasures on display at Windsor Castle. Presented to Queen Mary in 1924, its approximately 1000 miniature objects were created by leading artists and craftsman of the day.