Christian Hacker Antique Dollhouse Circa 1880

When I picked up my hard-won Tynietoy house last weekend I also picked up this gorgeous Christian Hacker. I felt like a kid at Christmas!

I had purchased this house last November, but couldn't pick it up until last weekend because I have spent the last 6 months in treatments to get rid of breast cancer - I think beat it by the way!

At last I was feeling well enough to go get it.  You can't imagine how eager I was to see this house.

The outside of the house was painstakingly restored a few years ago. There are some touch ups to the exterior, and the roof has lost its original traditional blue diagonal tile paper, but now it is looking much as it did when it was new.

The balcony is a replacement, but was copied from a similar Hacker house.

See the link at the bottom of this post to read about the restoration.

I have furnished the house with the Boule furniture that I have collected for it over the past six months. You can read about the pieces I got in Paris here.

I put the dining room above the kitchen, as I thought the decor of the room made it an inviting spot to enjoy a meal. I believe the wallpaper is a replacement with reproduction borders.

The ceiling retains its original decorations, but unfortunately has a split in it. The ceiling is actually the bottom of the attic section of the house.

The ringletted lady is a Simon and Halbig 1160 with her original wig and glass eyes. She is wearing her original outfit. It has shredded a bit from age. The older lady is a Kestner doll. She has a painted ribbon on the back of her hair.

Another Simon and Halbig lady with original wig and age-shredded dress welcomes us to the entrance hall. The wall and floor papers are original.

Her Airedale is hoping she will open the door to the kitchen. He might be able to steal a treat.

 Mrs. Featherbonnet takes a look at the parlour. The wall paper and floor paper are original with some touch ups. The paintings on the back wall are original art work by the same artist as those in the dining room.

The settee, drop front secretary and writing table with curved drawers are Boule.

 The upstairs hall has replacement wallpaper, but the floor paper is original. A small glass-eyed doll plays with her dolly. She is hoping that her governess is still napping and won't drag her off to her lessons. The doors and door frames are original. Again you can see the unfortunate crack in the ceiling. I don't know how to fix it, so I will just live with it until I figure it out.

 When visiting Ann Meehan's wonderful collection last year I fell in love with the little turned wood, painted dishes called Treen.

Since then I have acquired some and am proudly displaying them in this kitchen. They are not in pristine condition, but they are so hard to find I accept them as they are.

The dresser the dishes are in and the stove at the back of the room are original to the house. The wall and floor papers are also original

Another view of the kitchen. The lovely doll is wearing her original regional costume. I don't know what region she represents, but I think she is just wonderful.

There are also a few Treen pieces on the table.

I love the wallpaper in the bedroom and I believe it is original. The lovely Kestner lady with the bun at the back of her head is proud of her pretty bedroom.

The vanity has Treen toilet pieces on it. The picture on the wall has "Crystal Beach, Ontario, September 1908" written on the back. I have lived in Ontario all my life and I don't know where Crystal Beach is. I know the picture is too new for the house but I like it anyway.

I am wondering if I am dreaming. A Christian Hacker and a Tynietoy now live in my house. When I started collecting dollhouses I thought these wonderful antique toys existed only in museums. A few years into collecting and I actually own these exquisite items. It just goes to show you dreams can come true.

To read about the restoration of this house by a former owner go to this link - http://tynietoy.org - Click on the Antique tab and scroll down to (or search the page for) "A Larger Christian Hacker House and a Long Restoration"

I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I enjoyed furnishing the house.

Hugs,
Susan