Mid-19th Century English Doll's House

This beautiful doll's house measures 38" wide and 38" from the bottom to the top of the chimneys. I believe it was made in the mid 19th century. The exterior is hand painted. 

 

A previous owner updated the interior at some point. The wallpaper looks like the type used in the 1970s. Three of the rooms have built in fireplaces. 

The portico is beautifully done, but has accumulated a few scrapes and dings over the years. I am sure it could be easily restored.

The double chimneys are representative of the mid-19th century.

The lovely entry way and staircase are also representative of doll's houses of that era. 

This the landing at the top of the stairs.

A previous owner wired the house with miniature lights and sockets. The wiring is no longer intact, so I can't test it. I have furnished it with some antique doll's house furniture.

This room has a light socket and small bulb where the cook stove would be.

This antique bedroom set appears to be handmade. It is really sweet.

The living room has wainscotting and a patterned fabric representing wall paper. I believe the previous owner added these. The original fireplace is marbled.

Here are an example of mid-19th century English doll's houses that is very similar to mine. It is listed as - A mid-19th English Toyman's wooden  dolls' house

Small Stories - V&A Dollhouses at the National Building Museum in Washington DC

A few weeks ago I visited the National Building Museum in Washington DC for a special show titled Small Stories: At Home in a Dollhouse.

This is a collection of 12 doll's Houses from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood.

It was wonderful to see these exquisite houses in person. I had often gazed longingly at their pictures in books, so seeing them in person was like walking in to a room and seeing Paul McCartney or Benedict Cumberbatch standing there.

Below are some pictures I took at the exhibit, but to see much better pictures go to this article:
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/national-building-museum-dollhouses. 

My photos have been taken through the protective glass surrounding the houses and the interior lighting makes everything look green in the photos. Still, I am delighted to have my own pictures of these rock star houses. 

The Building Museum itself is a beautiful space.