When I was young, Queen Mary's Victorian Dollhouse enchanted me. I would spend hours finding straight through postcards my mom had of the dollhouse. The details fascinated me, running water and flushable toilets, tiny suits of armor, pottery dishes and silver tableware, even a strong room with itty bitty copies of the crown jewels. Those long hours laid a foundation for a love of dollhouses that has lasted well into my adult life.
The dollhouse was originally a gift to Queen Mary. It was produce by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and was meant to demonstrate the best British craftsmanship in 1924. It originally traveled as a fundraiser for the queen's charities, but it is now in permanent abode in Windsor Castle. Queen Mary's house is on a scale of 1 to 12 (1 inch to 1 foot) which is a ratio that has become fairly standard.
Dollhouse Families
Another example of a celebrated dollhouse is Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle, housed at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. It even boasts of a solid gold chandelier resplendent with actual diamonds and rubies. It has dinky paintings and murals done by the hand of Walt Disney. It is truly a masterpiece in miniature.
Doll houses have captivated dinky girls (and big girls and men as well) for millennium. Because of this passion, there is a very profitable collectible aspect to the doll house world. Mint-condition ancient dollhouses have been sold at auction in the ten-thousand dollar range.
If you have an ancient dollhouse and wish to know its worth, it is a fairly simple process. First, gather your resources. Read books, look online for checklists from appraisers, gather all of the documents concerning your own dollhouse along with origin, date of construction, materials.
Do your own evaluation. Think its age, its details (pictures, plumbing, lighting, rugs and furniture) and the condition of the house, as well as the traditional quality of materials used. An example is that Silk wall coverings are more valued than crayon drawn paper, glued to the wall.
Does the dollhouse represent a exact era or style? A house that keeps the historical accuracy and the integrity of its time frame is of greater interest than a mish-mosh of anyone we could throw in.
It is leading that you know your singular house and all of its details. But, it is also principal that you have an understanding of your dollhouse's association to comparable dollhouses. Knowing how yours measures up to those in a similar type will help you get a better idea of what is a realistic evaluation.
The final step is to find an appraiser. You can do this straight through the internet, by calling museums near you and by contacting auction houses. Most will be willing to suggest and direct you to the best resources.
Even if your interest is not in the value of the ancient and collectible dollhouse, it is fun to see where this hobby can lead. It is also principal to see the potential areas of creativity and artistic growth. Making your own dollhouse, or just furnishing one that you have purchased will stretch your skills and will provide hours of enjoyment.
Can you make a dinky suit of armor for the guard at the door to your castle? Probably not, but you won't know that unless you try. Beginning out with painting and flooring may be where you go first.
But be truthful of that first step. It may lead you down a rabbit hole to into the splendid world of Victorian Dollhouses that you may never be able to get out of. They may even be comparing your creation to Queen Mary or Colleen Moore.
Victorian Dollhouses Can Equal Fun and profit
