1 of 3
The miniature Greek statues and bust of Queen Victoria are from England. Calder Loth says his brother made the larger-scale statue of Jesus standing in the corner at left from a molded mixture of salt in one of his Sunday school classes.
2 of 3
The paper lanterns and miniature screen are souvenirs of a trip to Japan. Loth discovered the signed Native American miniature pots during travels to the Southwest. The furnace is a rare collectible, and the Victrola was a pencil sharpener.
3 of 3
Inspired by Queen Mary’s lavish doll house built in the 1920s, Loth and a friend commissioned the nine-room cabinet house, decorated as an upper-middle-class home circa 1900, for a festival at their church. The base is a recent addition.
All over the world, people accumulate collections of items they find fascinating or valuable. Some acquire books, while others treasure jewels; all share a passion for artistry. For retired architectural historian Calder Loth, what began as a simple boyhood project with a friend to raise money for their church eventually led to decades of collecting.
Inspired by an antique set of German doll furniture he inherited from his mother at age 10, Loth and his friend had a carpenter build a set of nine rooms to house the intricate miniature pieces and presented them for viewing at a church fundraiser for a small price. After the event, the collection went home with Loth, where it continued to evolve.
Collections of miniature figures and scenes such as Loth’s have a rich history dating to ancient Egypt, where they were meant to accompany and protect the dead in the afterlife. In the 16th century, miniaturized furnishings and “baby houses” were immensely popular among the German and British nobility and upper classes. Made from the finest materials and crafted by skilled artisans to mimic the interiors of stately homes, baby houses were symbols of wealth and status, often costing more than some actual real estate.
One of the most famous examples from the early 20th century is the dollhouse made for Britain’s Queen Mary. Crafted by more than 1,000 skilled artisans from 1921 to 1924, the house features running water and electricity and is now on display at Windsor Castle.
Loth found the miniature silver candlesticks, flatware and serving pieces, and the Venetian glassware gracing the dining room table in his favorite miniature shops in London and Venice. The topiary is iron. He wallpapered the room and crafted the chandelier from the top of a perfume bottle, just adding the fringe.
While Loth’s collection is not as opulent as Queen Mary’s, it was greatly inspired by it. Modeled to resemble a middle-class home from the early 1900s, Loth’s cabinet house boasts three bedrooms plus a formal parlor, music room, kitchen, dining room, library and catchall room.
Over the years since the house was constructed, Loth has filled its interiors with the spoils of his travels. Frequently returning from abroad with miniatures in his pockets, he’s appointed the rooms with a plethora of exotic objects. In the catchall room, Chinese screens mingle with instruments from across the world, presided over by a bronze Indian god. Signed miniature Native American pots sit beside a tiny iron furnace and a diminutive Mexican saddle, lending the space an eclectic feel.
The fine furnishings and foreign treasures that dominate the decor are subtly enhanced by examples of Loth’s ingenuity. Rugs created from cigar boxes complement paintings made from postcards and lamps with shades made from toothpaste caps. A pencil sharpener serves as a globe in the study, while an egg holder doubles as a Chinese fishbowl in the parlor.
As Loth’s life has evolved, interest in his collection of miniatures followed suit. His cabinet house has been displayed at both The Valentine museum and at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, its allure growing through time.
