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 gathering are possible human attributes. Therefore it comes as no surprise that collecting meaningful and representational objects will forever be a part of mans' culture. Tiny collecting in the 16th and 17th centuries was not Tiny 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 base for the wealthy to tour 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 construction of them reflects both delight and necessity. It was primary for a visitor to gift the host with trinkets to display in the Baby House in appreciation of hospitality.
Dollhouse
It was base 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 advance from 1686 -1705. She enlisted the efforts of any artists and experts to bring her idea to fruition. Porcelain Tiny collectibles were obtained from China, and varied 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 someone else example of the meshing of culture and house tradition. Dr. Killer ordered a replica of his popular lacquered cabinet in which to display dollhouse accessories handcrafted by the ladies of his house together with a chair fashioned from pheasant feathers as well as dollhouse miniatures crafted in London. Perhaps the most grandiose dollhouse of contemporary times is Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle which is displayed in the Museum of Science and business in Chicago. This labor of love was begun in 1928 by the silent film star. In all, 700 experts contributed to the operation 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 varied murals and paintings within the wood dollhouse. The collectible dollhouse miniatures consisted of chandeliers studded with diamonds, emeralds and pearls, 2,000 year old aged 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
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