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
