Sunday, May 2, 2010

Antique Dollhouse

 

This is another  recent Craigslist find. It was advertised as a Quebec Folk Art Dollhouse from the 1890s. The lady selling it said she bought it from an antique dealer back in the 1980s and paid $1000. for it.

She said they had kept it in their daughter's room as a decor piece. The daughter didn't play with it, she said. And now the daughter was grown up and on her own,  the lady had downsized and wanted to part with the house. She was happy a collector was buying it, and it would be well taken care of.


After the lovely trip Daphne and I took to Washington I told myself that I couldn't buy anymore dollhouses. My disposable income had been disposed of even before the Washington trip, and my 1:1 house is rather crowded.

But ... I kept looking at the pictures on Craigslist, and I just had to see the house in person. Of course once I saw it I had to have it.



Maybe some of you can help me date it. I don't think it is from before 1900 as the style of the interior looks more 1900-1930. There is real glass in the windows, but the cross hatches on the windows are some kind of rough tape. They almost feel like sandpaper - maybe florist's tape.


The light fixtures should help to date it. I have seen this type of  lighting in the books and I think they are from the early decades of the 1900s.



The wires are sticking out of the back of the house from under the ceiling of the upper floor. I have no idea whether I will be able to restore the wiring - or if I will even try.



I love the curved archways between the rooms, and the paint colours. I think they are original. They really suit the house. One of the features that sold me on this house was the half walls and pillars between the living room and dining room (or perhaps it is the den).



The staircase is very elegant with a wider rounded stair at the bottom. The banister is missing as is the railing in the upper hall. The former owner never had it.The hardwood floors are lovely.


I haven't cleaned it yet, but I am looking forward to doing so and finding just the right furniture for it.

If anyone  can help me fill in the age or history of the house please comment. I would love to know more.

Hugs,
Susan

10 comments:

  1. No te puedo ayudar en cuanto a la fecha de la casa.
    Solo te puedo decir, que has conseguido un verdadero tesoro.
    Enhorabuena!!!
    besitos ascension

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  2. Muchas Gracias Ascension!

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  3. The house has to be after(probably quite a few years after) 1904. That is when plywood was first invented. The style of the house looks more like the 20s or 30s. I hope you can find what you are looking for. Are there any markings on the bottom? It is really a neat find!

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  4. Thanks Casey. I am excited about it. I agree with you that it is 20s or 30s. I keep thinking the style of the living room with those pillars is 1924 - not sure why. There are no markings on the bottom - just dust and a cobweb. The main electric wire is coming out of the bottom (from under the stairs). It is covered with a sort of plastic - not cloth- that is cracking off.

    Susan

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  5. What a treasure of a house - I can see why you bought it. I love the big windows. The light fittings remind me of 1930's. I am sure you are close when you say 1920-1930's. Will be interesting to see if anyone can definitely date it.

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  6. It is a dreamy find! The arches are wonderful.Is it 1:12 scale. The floors come outreally wellinthe photos. What fun. CM

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  7. Thanks Pan & CM! Yes, the house is 1:12 scale. It is in really great condition despite being a little playworn, but I can't complain as it is probably over 80 years old. Now I just have to find a place to put it. I guess it's time to get rid of the stuff my kids left in their rooms when they moved out. lol

    Susan

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  8. Hi Susan, What a lovely house! Your collection is really something now :-)
    I wanted to look up a couple of books before I commented - I don't know when your house was made (what it's made of can be a really good guide) - but I think the arches and pillars could well represent an architectural style earlier than the 20s or 30s. These features were used in Australia in the architectural styles known as Arts and Crafts, and Federation. Arts and Crafts was popular from about 1890 to before WWI, and Federation dates from around 1901, when Australia became a federation of states. Also, shingled rooves were part of the Arts and Crafts style too. And in The Vivien Greene Dolls House Collection, there's a house with arched pillars dating to about 1904 - she says they were known as 'Liberty Arches', because they could be bought at Liberty's in London. But I don't know about in Canada. The shape of the roof looks very distinctive to me too, but maybe it's common there? Does it date from a particular era? Of course people often make dolls houses in styles that have become common, not necessarily ones that are new and just appearing - but I do think it's possible that this house dates from before 1920.
    Look forward to seeing how you furnish it and who lives here!

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  9. omg! that house looks just the one i live in, on the inside! the arches are identical to what this house once had...now since removed. im using your photos to show a carpenter what to put back it!...the dollhouse, like my real house, is from the arts and crafts period. very nice! thank you for posting.

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  10. I do believe this to be a FAO Schwarz dollhouse from Germany. The did coustom dollhouse that you could model after your own house. I think this may have been one of there custom homes after a real home and that is why is was so pricey. I have 2 of there homes and the construction is just like this one, the floors too. The company still is in operation today and still does custom homes if you can afford it. Mine will be for sale soon as I am doing a little work to them first. have fun it is a beautiful home.

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