Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - December 28, 1986
By Helen M. Fagg
Vigo County Historical Society

Doll house history
Miniatures capture our imaginations

The Victorian Toy Shop in the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley is the address of this old doll house made from a bookcase.

The stack-type case was divided by a wood partition into four rooms of equal size. The partition creates the illusion of a two story frame house. The exterior in no way resembles one.

Like the toy shop's doll house, the earliest doll houses made in the 16th and 17th centuries resemble the cabinets from which they evolved. A collection was placed in a cabinet for safekeeping. Eventually, the pieces began to be arranged in natural settings. The partitions were added and decorated to make the scenes more realistic. It wasn't until much later that the outside features of real houses were added.

The doll house in the museum represents a Midwest American home of the late 19th century or early 20th century.

The furniture is not all the same scale. There seems to be an excess of tables and chairs, but maybe the doll house family entertains a lot. One little set in the kitchen has seats and table top made of very small sea shells.

The four rooms of the house represent a kitchen and dining-living room on the first floor with a bedroom and an upstairs sitting room on the second floor. The walls are covered with mini-sized patterned wallpaper. The bedroom boasts of a mirror with tiny wall sconces on either side and a unique little baby bed made of woven wire. In the kitchen a little iron stove is ready to prepare the meals for the family of small bisque dolls and china animal pets.

This doll house is not fancy. Children definitely played with it.

Miniature houses of one kind or another have been telling the story of domestic life for at least four centuries. They have been referred to as baby houses, toy houses, play houses and doll or dolls' houses. Whatever the title, they have remained a popular toy or art treasure depending upon the owner.

Doll houses were intended for the young, but they captivated the elders, too. One of the first doll houses on record was made for the daughter of a duke. When the house was finished the duke was so fascinated by it that he would not allow the daughter to play with it and it was placed in his private art collection.

A number of very old and detailed doll houses have been found in Germany, Holland and the British Isles. Most of them have been placed in museums where they are very carefully guarded and attract many visitors. A trip to London would not be complete without a visit to see the elaborate royal mansion made for Queen Mary in the 1920s and the little four-room house that Queen Victoria played with when she was a child.

Although the houses of America are not as old as those of other countries, several are outstanding. The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., contains the house of Faith Bradford which has 22 separate rooms and hundreds of articles.

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is home of Colleen Moore's fantasy castle. It has to be seen to be appreciated and it has attracted as many as 115,000 visitors in one day. A few years ago residents of Terre Haute enjoyed viewing the detailed miniature replica of the White House when it stopped here on a trip across the United States.

In the past few years there has been an increased interest in miniatures. Making and furnishing little houses, rooms and shops has become a favorite and expensive hobby for many adults. The products of their interest are not playthings, but works of art for adults to enjoy.

Smallness has charm and beauty. Miniatures have fascinated people through the ages. There is no platitude to describe the almost hypnotic effect the microcosm has on the human giants who inhabit the earth. A doll house with its tiny furniture and accessories can reveal in a glance more about the domestic life of a group of people than a writer can relate in many chapters and an artist can express in many paintings.

The Lilliputian world is a delightful place to explore at this magical time of the year.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday.