doll houses

doll houses

Somewhere between 1550 and 1579 Albert Duke of Bavaria decided to have a miniature replica of his house made and he called it his baby house. Businessmen, bankers and merchants followed suit. The dolls’ houses acted as a medium to flaunt the precious items that they had collected over a period of time. These were stored in cabinets which could be locked, hence the doll houses came to be known as “cabinet Houses”. In Germany, Holland and England many such miniature houses were manufactured and they essentially replicated the owner’s lifestyle. Englishmen went a bit further and had these houses resemble the ones they lived in. Even the exteriors were made identical. Apart from complete houses, single rooms were also reproduced. These resembled Nuremberg Kitchens or market stalls and milliners. Care was taken to see that the fittings inside the houses reflected the tastes of that particular period be it Victorian, Elizabethan, or Tudor.

The twentieth century saw a considerable increase in the production of doll houses. In fact the manufacturers went to the extent of charging extra for fittings like plumbing and electricity. Even repairs and renovation was undertaken. Initially paper covered houses were popular, but when Tudor style houses were built, metal windows and doors opened into delightful small rooms. There was quite a variety as the manufacturers catered to flats, and also to mansions with bedrooms, garages and even bathrooms. The furniture was elegant, small and full of aesthetic appeal. They were actually made from wood. Plastic houses replaced the earlier ones, and they were more durable. This however did not mean that the interest in the old type of dolls” houses declined.

Although many dolls houses were built, the one built in 1924 for Queen Mary is perhaps the most famous. The architect was Sir Edwin Lutyens and the most interesting fact of all was that the house contained miniature items from 1500 specialists. Small clocks, sewing machines, miniature china and even a miniature story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ---everything was present. It is an exquisite work of art and even now is housed in Windsor Castle.

Strangely, doll houses still seem to have a lot of appeal. To redo a house in a particular style costs a lot but people who can afford it do not seem to mind the cost. Miniature items like carpets, light fittings, an alarm clock, or a lemonade set are expensive to procure and sometimes the total amount spent in furnishing and decorating the doll’s house is almost the same amount spent on a real house. As collector items, these houses have come into their own and are of great importance. There are some people who create fantasies in glass or silver merely to an escape from reality. Some of the houses are photographed room-by-room and replicated in a miniature form. Unbelievable as it is, every room, every brick is reproduced exactly as it is. The plates, the kitchen, the rugs, the chandeliers are fitted in the same place. Looking at this miniature form of art, one relives the past.

Sometimes finding the right type of dollhouse is difficult. There are dollhouse kits available which allow you to construct the kind of house you have envisioned. Draw up a plan, the blueprint (even these are readily available) and start building from the scratch. Once this is done, you can furnish it in whatever style you want. Chairs, tables, beds, flowers, toys, and tools even miniature people--- everything is available. You can have a wonderful time reconstructing the house in whatever style you want.