In a 175-room mansion on an estate in Delaware, there is a tiny house inside. In that tiny house, there is a tiny dining room, and on the wall of that dining room, hangs a tiny portrait of someone whose memory many in New Canaan hold dear. It’s a miniature portrait of Nancy McDaniel, former model, talented interior designer, dedicated volunteer for the former Festival of Trees at Waveny House and devoted collector of miniatures.
Mini model
Even before Nancy’s death on April 24, 2015, she and her husband Jack had begun the search for a permanent home for her prized possession: a 4-foot-by-6-foot dollhouse. She had spent more than 30 years designing and decorating the 18-room Georgian mini-mansion, calling on experts all over the world to make her vision a reality. The house has an authentic slate roof, 12 working fireplaces, 100 working electrical outlets, inlaid hardwood floors throughout, hand painted cups made in France, and oriental rugs (all of which were handmade in petit point by Nancy). Some of the details are inspired by Nancy’s own house: a wicker bassinet, a collection of beaded purses in one of the bedrooms, a plate rail in the kitchen and miniature Staffordshire dogs that model her own.
“It’s very much like our home,” said Jack McDaniel in an interview with the Advertiser. Other details were inspired by a trip to London to see Queen Mary’s dollhouse. The master bath contains the same fixtures as the queen’s miniature house. “When she saw Queen Mary’s dollhouse it really inspired her to finish it off in great fashion,” said Jack.
Kindred spirits
After an extensive search, the McDaniels decided to donate the dollhouse to Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Winterthur, Del. The former estate of Henry Francis du Pont seems the perfect new home for Nancy’s treasured collection. Jack also asked them to hang the miniature portrait of Nancy in the dining room, a tribute to its creator from a friend.
“Du Pont, Winterthur’s founder, had a fabulous, innate sense of design and it appears Nancy McDaniel did as well,” said Curator Deborah Harper. “Her rooms are wonderfully detailed in a very holistic way. There is not one feature in a room that overwhelms it or grabs the viewer’s attention; rather the furnishings complement one another beautifully, and that is very sympathetic to Mr. du Pont’s approach to interior design.”
Du Pont and Nancy seem to have a number of connections. Both collected miniatures. Both were sticklers for “getting it right,” and worked for decades on finding the perfect objects for their collections, says Harper. Nancy’s propensity for precision shines through in the details, from a silver candy dish that opens to reveal a tiny Turkish Delight to the sewing table that contains 14 tiny spools of thread. The two also enjoyed sharing their collections with friends: Nancy frequently took friends with her to miniature shows, while du Pont’s collection was an intricate part of his home, which he frequently opened to friends and family. A portrait of one such family member makes it seem almost as if the dollhouse was destined to end up at Winterthur: The Rear Admiral Samuel Francis DuPont (first cousin once removed from du Pont) — is actually hanging in the library of Nancy’s dollhouse. Interns who restored the dollhouse after it was donated discovered the inscription on the back of the portrait of a full-bearded man in a military uniform.
Distinguished honor
While dollhouses such as these are not as rare as one might think, the Winterthur’s acceptance of Nancy’s dollhouse is a substantial honor. The country’s premier museum of American decorative arts boasts nearly 90,000 objects American-made or -used between 1640 and 1860. The more than 1,000-acre estate is one of America’s finest gardens and the library is a preeminent research library tied to a number of graduate programs. It seems only fitting that the dollhouse will be part of the museum’s permanent collection beginning with the Yuletide exhibition Nov. 19 to Jan. 8, as Christmas was Nancy’s favorite holiday. The mansion will be decorated in its holiday best and unique tree displays will adorn every room. The dollhouse, equally adorned, will be on display in the Galleries stair hall.
Perfect timing
“Nancy loved Christmas!” said Harper. The New Canaanite’s involvement in the annual Festival of Trees signified her enthusiasm, as did her volunteer work for a number of charitable organizations centered around the holiday, but some local residents may not know she also designed her own line of Christmas ornaments sold nationwide.
Harper expects that the house will be available to view even in the off season, as it has already proven wildly popular among visitors. Interns who restored the dollhouse, worked in an open public space so people could watch. “I knew there would be interest,” said Harper, “but I did not expect people to visit the museum multiple times during the preparation.” She also didn’t expect the small lecture hall where they worked (with 30 seats) would at times be filled to capacity.
“The response has just been phenomenal,” adds Harper. “It is a real tribute to Nancy and her vision for the dollhouse, and the care she took to create it.”
Nancy McDaniel spent more than 30 years crafting her 18-room dollhouse, leaving no detail overlooked, from her handmade needlepoint rugs in every bedroom to the exquisite custom bathroom she modeled after the Queen Mary’s dollhouse, which she visited on a trip to England. — Courtesy of Winterthur, Photo by Jim Schneck.
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McDaniel, pictured here, knew she wanted the dollhouse in good hands and began researching the Winterthur as a possible home before she died in April 2015. The museum delighted in this fully operational miniature mansion, with working lights in every room, hardwood floors and hand-painted miniature artwork on the walls. — Courtesy of Winterthur, Photo by Jim Schneck.
Nancy McDaniel
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