Originally dolls houses were actually aimed more at the grown ups than children! It was a hobby of the more affluent people in society to collect “baby houses” as they were known back in the late 17th and 18th centuries.
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They were usually made to actually fit inside a cabinet. It would have the appearance on the outside of an ordinary piece of furniture but when it was opened it revealed an impressive dolls house with many rooms. On the inside there was furniture all scaled down to size and the craftsmanship was of the highest standards.
The dolls which were usually made of wood or wax are extremely collectible toys today.
Antique wax dolls were usually made by pouring melted wax into a mould. Wax does’nt seem to be the perfect material for making dolls but they were less fragile than bisque or china and it could be tinted to give the doll a beautiful and realistic skin tone.
It is sometimes quite difficult to accurately date these dolls as they were hard to mark and the only way they could do this was by labelling them.
It was in the 19th century that “baby houses” began to be known as dolls houses and were mainly found in the nurseries of the children belonging to wealthy families.
They were sometimes furnished with exquisite needlepoint rugs and couches upholstered in silk. The furniture was often made of fine wood and was accurately cut down to scale.
By the end of the 19th century the dolls were made of bisque and glazed china. The attention to detail was amazing and often the dolls were equipped with their own gloves, purses, fans and even sewing kits! This made them very easy to personalise and the accessories became very popular gifts for her.
In recent times plastic and metal dolls houses were introduced but undoubtedly it is the amazing craftsmanship of the early “baby houses” which have stood the test of time that remain firm favourites with miniature collectors today.