> But Mr. O’Grady must have been the first writer to seriously consider the physics of the miniature.

Railway modelers (and probably ship modelers before them) were in this domain before that. Real water doesn't look right on a model layout. Also things like the practical dimensions of the rails and the speed at which things move. The scaling of the physics is important for a live steam model, as it affects the operation as well as the physics.

Apart from that, scale models were a primary engineering tool before the advent of computer simulation [1]. Models are still used for training ship pilots [2], and these models must account for how physical properties scale.

[1] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/97834336096... [2] https://www.portash.com.au/

> (...) and these models must account for how physical properties scale.

Tom Scott made a video about similar facility in Poland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jplrbxI5GN8

I've seen that doll house referred to as a shining example of between-the-wars British craftsmanship.

There are modern equivalents. Mulvany and Rogers have a reputation for working with the best, for example. https://mulvanyandrogers.com/gallery/

And this https://bellerbyandco.com/

Those are lovely. Some of them remind me of the mount on the Edmund Scientific Astroscan telescope. But have they made a doll-scale version?

AFAIK, the smallest they make is 12cm in diameter.

> It’s unholy, and that’s because dollhouses are not made to be lived in; they’re barely fun to play with. Dollhouses are for looking.

What? They’re sets for telling stories with. Barbie dumped Ken for Skipper, and then Darty Vader moved in when his spaceship crashed. Now the Smurfs and the Ponies are besieging the dollhouse along with the Warhammer elves your brother started painting. Can Darty’s Force powers save the day?

There's a disconnect between childrens' miniatures and adults' miniatures.

All those 1/6 scale vinyl collectibles that sit untouched on geeky bookshelves? Same deal.

Having said that, some people love the building, and lose interest once the project's done. I think model boat makers often fall into that camp.

Now all I can think of is a once-off haunted mansion DnD game using a dollhouse as the set!

That sounds awesome. A great excuse for adults to play with dolls!

I've seen this Doll House in person recently, it's on display at Windsor Castle. While it's extremely weird that it exists at all, if you get past that, it's an exceptional example of art and craft. So much incredible detail. It's unfortunate that it's behind glass and you can't really spend good time with it, because I could imagine being in there for hours and still not seeing all the nuances.

I suppose it's the same reason I love Miniland at Legoland. Huge miniature worlds so meticulously crafted. It boggles the mind.

It means it did what was supposed to--inspire, stimulate imagination.

Royale Collection Trust site (linked): https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/queen-marys-dolls-hous...

Good short video there.

Reminded me of Lester’s comments in The Wire that he makes substantially more money making miniatures for dollhouse collectors than he does working as a cop.

Colleen Moore's fairy castle also dates from the 1920s, and is also very impressive. It's on display in Chicago.[0] Evidently the dining set in the Moore castle is a copy of the one in the Queen's Doll's House. [1]

[0]: https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/colle... [1]: https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/colle...

One of the intriguing things about The Secret World of Arrietty is that they animated to account for the difference in the Borrowers' size. Every liquid they handle, for example, during cooking -- even water -- appears much more viscous than it would be at human scale.

they stole the idea from antz

The text of Arthur Conan Doyle's short story for the library is available online

https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/How_Watson_Lear...