Antique Doll House Room Box with Front and back rooms

The newest addition to my collection is this very special room box from  1913.  I have never seen another one like it. The parlour, veranda and balcony are on one side, and ...

...the kitchen and bedroom are on the other.

The balcony came furnished with this pretty furniture and metal watering can. The furniture is the same style as the Czech dining room sets that were popular a few decades ago, but the painting is very different. Could it be an early version of those sets?

This little house seems to be the ideal honeymoon cottage, so I have decided that newlyweds live here. Young Mrs. Stübchen, has invited some of her new neighbours over. She is making a last check of her lovely parlour to see if all is ready. 

It is shown in the book, Moritz Gottschalk, 1892-1931, and it is from 1913. There is a larger version as well.

The ladies will enter via the flower filled veranda. There is no access to the balcony, but I suppose the dolls are so light they can fly up there. 

Mrs.  Stübchen is vey proud of the punch bowl and glasses she received as a wedding gift. She hopes her callers will be suitably impressed by the set.

Mr. Stübchen is still waiting for Mrs. Stübchen to bring him the suit she sent out to be cleaned. Luckily he is very patient because his suit is the last thing on her mind.

The cook has stayed to help Mrs. Stübchen with her party. She is unaware that  poor Mr. Stübchen is trapped in the bedroom now that the ladies have arrived.

Butch, the bulldog, knows that Cook is a soft touch and he is begging for treats.

Mr. Stübchen loves his new wife vey much, but he is beginning to realize that she is a little absent-minded. He hopes the ladies will leave soon. The truth of the matter is that I have not made Mr. Stübchen any clothes, so even if the ladies leave he still won't be able to find his pants. Maybe I should get on that min-project.

The end of the house has working shutters and a lovely trellis.

Thorne Miniature Rooms - Exquisite reproductions of dollhouse sized rooms.

For years I've been talking about going to Chicago to visit the miniature rooms in The Art Institute of Chicago. This past weekend my dream became a reality.




You can find out more and see pictures at the Art Institute website here.

They introduce the exhibit this way:
"The 68 Thorne Miniature Rooms enable one to glimpse elements of European interiors from the late 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s. Painstakingly constructed on a scale of one inch to one foot, these fascinating models were conceived by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago and constructed between 1932 and 1940 by master craftsmen according to her specifications."

I took all of the pictures in this blog post. I held my camera against the glass of each exhibit in order to avoid reflections, so these shots show only partial rooms. The Art Institute website has full images of the rooms and when you click the small image it blows up to a nice size. There information about the size of each room and the date it was made

The rooms are exquisite. the detail is incredible I wish I had the skill and the patience to attempt making one myself. Maybe I will one day.

These gorgeous rooms are well loved in the Windy City. If you mention to anyone - sales people, those you ask to take your picture, those who give you directions - that you went to the Art Institute, they will say, "Did you see the miniature rooms?"

As I was about to leave the Art Institute I checked out the gift shop. I started to chat with another customer who asked if I had seen the rooms. Then she told me that her mother-in-law was a friend of Mrs. Thorne and that Mrs. Thorne had made her a room. She said that one of her nieces (the mother-in-law's granddaughter) has the room now.

I wasn't too jealous - it was a wonderful story.

I have seen many pictures of these rooms in books and online, but one does not appreciate the skill of the craftsmen and the detail of the rooms until you see them in person.

I would highly recommend visiting these incredible rooms if you ever get to Chicago - that toddlin' town.

Antique dollhouse collection in the National Museum of Denmark

Last summer I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Copenhagen. One of the highlights of my visit was touring the National Museum of Denmark. Not only did they have a very interesting special exhibit about the Vikings, but they also have an excellent antique dollhouse collection.

I have posted some of my pictures of the collection below. The dollhouse room was quite dark and the houses were behind glass, so I apologize for the quality of the photos. I think you will enjoy them despite the bad photography.

I have this little chef in my own collection.

It was fun to see furniture that I have in my collection in the exhibit. I have the clock, buffet and chairs.

This lovely large China doll relaxing on a child sized settee was part of an 19th century drawing room exhibit

I fell in love with this corner cabinet dollhouse. 

I would love to try to make a reproduction of it. It is so charming with built-in shelves and fireplaces.