Vintage dollhouses were once exclusively for adults.
Dollhouses have traditionally been thought of as children's toys in modern times. However, the history of vintage dollhouses started in the parlors of wealthy adults. Collecting and crafting vintage dollhouses is considered a relatively rare hobby among adults today. Modern dollhouses are a common and much beloved toy by many children.
History
The traditional dollhouse can be traced back to the 1600s, where it was made for Albert V, a Bavarian duke. Originally called baby houses or cabinet houses, the dollhouses were exclusively designed for adults of the aristocracy to display miniature idealized rooms. However, with the rise of mass production, dollhouses became a children's toy. They were often used to train a young girl about domestic life.
Dollhouse Construction
Vintage dollhouses can be constructed from a variety of materials, from simple cardboard and paper to elaborately made wooden ones commissioned by the wealthy with marvelously detailed furnishings. Today, dollhouses can be bought in kits for those who wish to build their own, designed by avid dollhouse builders or purchased from local stores. These dollhouses often are made with a combination of plastic and artificial or actual wood.
Scales
Prior to the early 1900s, vintage dollhouses rarely had set scales. Each individual craftsman or toy company had its own standards. However, scales became consistent following World War I. Modern children's dollhouses are commonly 1:18 scale, while 1:12 is generally the standard for adult collectors of vintage dollhouses and dollhouse decorations.
Famous Dollhouse Makers
Some of the most famous dollhouse makers were German companies, such as Christian Hacker and Moritz Reichel. The Lines Brothers and Siber & Fleming were common English dollhouse makers. The McLoughlin Company was a major American producer.
Types of Vintage Dollhouses
Vintage dollhouses range from the antique cabinet houses, mostly found in museums, to the more common mass-produced houses of the late 1800s and early 1900s. These vintage houses can be like the McLoughlin Folding Dollhouse in the 1890s in which colored lithography was glued to cardboard, to painted wood and cardboard houses common in the 1920s and 1930s. Traditional furniture is often ceramic, wooden or even cast iron and imitated popular furniture in houses of the time.
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