What we know as dollhouse miniatures have been unearthed from Egyptian tombs dating back 5,000 years. These wooden miniatures of people, household items and animals depicted life as it was in the Old Kingdom. Foraging and conferrence are potential human attributes. Therefore it comes as no surprise that collecting meaningful and representational objects will forever be a part of mans' culture. Itsybitsy collecting in the 16th and 17th centuries was not Itsybitsy to the female gender. Monarchs, scholars and rich merchants owned cabinets in which to display collections of fossils, precious stones, rare coins and the like.
During the 16th century cabinet displays known as Baby Houses were collected by well to do families in Holland, England and Germany. These early collectible wooden dollhouses were architecturally designed and furnished with true to life miniatures. One example is the Tate House built in England in 1760. Back then it was very tasteless for the wealthy to travel for extended periods of time, so the dollhouse was built in sections for easy transport. These Baby Houses were a major part of daily life, as even the building of them reflects both delight and necessity. It was original for a visitor to gift the host with trinkets to display in the Baby House in appreciation of hospitality.
Dollhouse Families
It was tasteless in the 17th century for wealthy Dutch merchants' wives to spend inordinate amounts of money on the hobby of collecting dollhouse miniatures. Petronella Oortman, the wife of a Dutch silk merchant, commissioned a Baby House that became a work in progress from 1686 -1705. She enlisted the efforts of several artists and experts to bring her idea to fruition. Pottery Itsybitsy collectibles were obtained from China, and discrete mediums such as copper, tortoiseshell and marble were used to generate the collectible wooden dollhouse. Silk and velvet tapestries and furnishings graced the rooms, and when all was said and done the cabinet cost between 20,000 - 30,000 guilders which could have bought a real home plus a canal in Amsterdam. Interestingly, the only historical example of a maternity room, or lying - in room dating back to that time is preserved within the walls of the Oortman Baby House.
The Killer Cabinet, so named because it was commissioned by Dr. John Killer of Manchester in 1835 is an additional one example of the meshing of culture and family tradition. Dr. Killer ordered a replica of his favorite lacquered cabinet in which to display dollhouse accessories handcrafted by the ladies of his house along with a chair fashioned from pheasant feathers as well as dollhouse miniatures crafted in London. Possibly the most grandiose dollhouse of contemporary times is Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle which is displayed in the Museum of Science and manufactures in Chicago. This labor of love was begun in 1928 by the silent film star. In all, 700 experts contributed to the carrying out of this divine venture.
The group was comprised of Beverly Hills jewelers, Chinese jade craftsmen and surgical lighting experts among many others. Walt Disney painted discrete murals and paintings within the wood dollhouse. The collectible dollhouse miniatures consisted of chandeliers studded with diamonds, emeralds and pearls, 2,000 year old antique statues and the tiniest Bible ever written which dates back to 1840. The Fairy Castle dollhouse contains more than 2,000 miniatures at a cost of 0,000 to complete. It is safe to assume that collecting dollhouses and dollhouse miniatures have always been and will remain an ever gift thread in the tapestry of mankind.
Collecting Dollhouses and Dollhouse Miniatures
