The history of dolls houses
Surely dolls houses have been around since the begining of civilisation. This article explores the history of dolls houses from their humble beginings to the modern masterpieces of today.
Dolls houses have been a staple in a lot of peoples childhood's (and adulthood's) for many years. But doll's houses had a much different beginning than the purpose that they serve these days.
The earliest known examples of miniature furnished homes and model inhabitants were found in the Egyptian tombs of the Old Kingdom (the name commonly given to a period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt realised its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement) nearly five thousand years ago. The models found were wooden figures of servants, boats, furnishings, pets and livestock, and were almost certainly created for religious purposes.
The earliest recorded doll's house in Europe was owned by Albert V, Duke of Bavaria, Germany, in the mid-sixteenth century and was a replica of his own residence. The idea of having someone create a miniature residence and furnishings soon caught on amongst the wealthy as people all over Europe began to commission hand made fine miniature pieces. These were not created as children's playthings, rather a display of wealth and social standing.
Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the purpose of the doll's house began to change. Although still solely owned by the wealthy, the children of these families also began to enjoy these miniature creations. They were initially introduced to children as a way of forming household management skills and a general education of life, but by the mid-nineteenth century the doll's house purpose had changed entirely and had become a fully fledged plaything for children, although still only available for the wealthy.
It has only been since the Victorian era that doll's houses have been truly available to a wider audience, and not just the wealthy.
Germany had become the main force of mass manufacture with companies such as Märklin and Rock & Garner creating doll's houses that were collected all over the world. Germany then lost their stronghold on the doll's house market due to their involvement in World War I, which severely impeded the production and distribution of the products. During this period, doll's house manufacturers from other countries arose, snatching a lot of Germany's market share over the industry.
Since the industrial revolution and World War II doll's houses had become increasingly cheaper to purchase as standard scales had been introduced. Doll's houses manufactured for children are generally available in 1:18 (2/3”) scale, whilst those made as collectors pieces for adults are mostly 1:12 (1”) scale.
In more recent times, Doll's houses have been manufactured in many countries of the world, with the first being American and Japanese models copying the original designs of the houses made in Germany.
Doll's houses now come in various shapes and forms, sizes, price ranges and materials to suit different audiences and ages. But with all this change there's one thing for certain... Doll's houses are not going anywhere any time soon.
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