Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens

Happy Birthday Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens!! The English born artist from 1869 was knighted in 1918. He was born in London and named after a friend of his father's, painter and sculptor Edwin Landseer. He received his architectural trainng at South Kensington School of Art and opened his own practice in 1888. After many designs in the Arts and Craft and Tudor styles, Lutyens focused on a more Classical style. He designed private country homes, churches, monuments and commercial buildings. Perhaps his most favored design (certainly mine) was the doll house design he supervised for Queen Mary and her husband George V. It is meant to exhibit the superb British craftsmanship of the time as well as represent how the Royal family lived during the period. Queen Mary's Dolls' House was constructed in 1:12 (1 inch=1 foot) scale and is over 3 feet tall. the furnishings, drapes and carpets are all replicas of the "real thing"; the toilets and sinks are plumbed and the light fixtures work! I want to be a kid in the Royal Palace!!