Dollhouse Tourism
August 2010, Issue 7
The history of dollhouses covers many eras and continents, but little has been said about the development of the American contribution to the art.
According to noted doll's house historian Flora Gill Jacobs in her book, A World of Doll Houses, the first known American dollhouse was created 36 years before the country itself! This historic Early American style house was made for the Homan family of Boston in 1744. It features two open rooms in the front and two more on the back separated inside by a sort of fence with a chimneyed roof on top and a drawer beneath for toy storage. The windows are painted onto
its sides and there are drop handles on either side so the piece can be moved.
Created in an era when miniatures were items reserved almost exclusively for bragging rights of the rich, most early miniatures of this time frame were artisan-created miracles in questionable scale.
The specific scales of today such as 1:12 or even 1:6 weren't much taken into consideration. But the eye for detail was definitely there.
Historic handcrafted miniatures often include such exquisite detail as monogrammed linens, readable printed books, glass jars and teeny sets of silver flatware.
But only for the privileged few.
Custom Dolls, Houses & Miniatures / CDHM