Since I was a child I have always been obsessed with miniaturized things. I had a collection of small farm animals. I loved very tiny versions of dolls. Shrunken adult things, such as tea sets and the like. And not just reduced to fit the hand of a child, but even so that as a small child, you felt a giant with them. 
But for me it wasn’t the feeling of being a giant but putting myself into an even tinier world. It was creating a vast world of adults into which, with imagination and quiet and careful fingers, one could be placed into it.
A very famous and wonderfully intricate and accurate Edwardian style Doll’s house is the Queen Mary doll house, now kept at Windsor Castle. This five foot tall house was built in 1924 for Queen Mary by renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, It contains many working parts including a working lawn mower in the Gertrude Jekyll designed garden.
I have not seen this house but would love to on my hopeful future trip to the UK. I would love to see the represented Edwardian style servants basements and workrooms and how they attached them to the main parts of the home.
“More than 170 authors are featured in tiny books for the house's library including Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edith Wharton.”
And a few of these books are being reprinted into human size.
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If you had ever wanted to build a home of your own for yourself or a child, this lovely lady, Jennifer, has a wonderful follow along step by step plan. She starts with sizes you take to Home Depot or your local lumberyard and have them cut for you. HERE is her wonderful follow along blog. 
And to fill the lovely walls of your new home, HERE is a site with endless free vintage wallpaper scaled to download and print and use. They span from Regency to modern. They would also make lovely craft paper for projects, I think.
To learn more about all the varieties of such tiny houses HERE is a wonderful blog about someone’s collection. You can see the more modern tin and litho doll houses that became available and mass produced into the 20th century as Mass Production boomed. They have fun guest blogs which are told in a story like fashion featuring the miniatures and house sets.
HERE is an article about a great doll house and the owners own wonderful home.
I have started a pinboard on my Pinterest specifically for doll houses. I will continue to add images and inspiration to that board.
There is something fulfilling and other-worldly about looking at and even putting together things in miniature. We could have the vast country estate in the past at our fingertips while we sit in our seven story walk up one room flat in the city. The possibilities are endless. Such collection and display is certainly not only for children and in fact with children it could teach them the love of art and interiors and general understanding of setting up a home. A great playground for ones dreams or hopes for the future.
Take a few minutes today to dream up in the small. Fix yourself into a tiny world and then soar into vast ideas and hopes. In some way miniatures are a physical manifestation of our own imagination and hopes. Why not give it a try? At least browse a few images of the details and art that goes into the world of miniatures and Doll’s houses. Have a lovely day.
What a neat little site you have. I received a BA in history and just love things like this. I understand what you mean about time constraints. I'm still a full-time housewife, but I've taken on a couple of volunteer activities that require a surprising amount of time. My time online has been limited, indeed. Which is why I'm discovering you so late into January. I cannot wait to look at all you have posted so far.
ReplyDeleteThe first half of the 20th century is one of my most favorite times of US history, that and the colonial era.
Can't wait to come back!
Jenny