At the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago you will find Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle.   I must count my wife, Caryn Riswold, as the one who fomented my unintended observation of this miniature playhouse.  Though I wanted to rush on over to the U-505 Submarine, Caryn ignored me and indulged her inner fantasy.  She stopped at each phone outside of the exhibit to listen to the history and detail of each room and its intricate decor, transporting herself into each tiny place.  I had no choice but to take note of what so animated her.  Even without listening to the summaries of Cinderella’s Drawing Room, or the Princesses’ Bathroom, or even the Magic Garden, a simple look into the Fairy Castle captured my childhood imagination.  This is what the tour asks you to do:

In order to go on this trip, you have to pretend to shrink down to only 5 inches tall, so that you can experience the enchantment of this tiny home, filled with the magic of fairies and fairy tales!

Take the tour!  You will discover that the miniaturization is more than turrets and battlements, it’s a peek into a magical palace.  All comers are treated to the exquisite art of shrinking objects.  They seem to be reduced to their smallest possible size where the human eye can still notice impeccable details.  

For a taste of the Fairy Castle, check out the museum’s picture tour and read about the twelve different views of this magical miniaturization.
    
By Mark Schelske