DH & Eras
World of Minis
Famous Dollhouses - Historical Eras
In countries where dollhouses is part of their culture, like the USA, Canada, Europe, South Africa and Australia, dollhouse miniatures were responsible for over US$ 55 millions in sales in 1988.
There are many shows, events, workshops, classes, organizations, exhibits, the aficionados get together in groups, clubs - both in real life and virtual ones. There are stores for all pocket depths, again both brick and mortar and online. The attention to detail and exact measures to scale are valued qualities.
If you go to England, try to visit the famous Queen Mary's Dollhouse, a fantastic monument in miniature that reflects every aspect of royal life by the turn of the 20th century.
A fantastic monument of miniaturization, which depicts in detail every aspect of daily life of British royalty and labor class in the beginning of 20th century is the famous Queen Mary's Dolls House. Several artists and artisans collaborated to make it come true. everything in it reflects reality accurately, in scale: the taps would run water, the elevator actually works when one pushes the buttons, the books can be read... and so on! Funny though, the only dolls in this dolls house are the King and the Queen, as other dolls all around could fall down and eventually break so precious and unique objects.
In the video on this page you can see some highlights of this amazing project, where several artisans of that country worked together to make it come true. You will see all details about the queen's bedroom, from furniture to ornament items.
Queen Mary's Dollhouse is a true masterpiece that delights adults and children equally.
Another major milestone in dollhouses are the famous Thorne Rooms. This impressive series of roomboxes encompasses European interiors from the late 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s. They were made by different artisans, under commission by Mrs. Thorne, between 1932 and 1940: the perfection of each and every detail is extremely realistic and breathtaking.
Their permanent exhibit home is the Art Institute, in Chicago, but occasionally there is a travelling exhibition going to other cities of the country.
In the photo gallery right below you can see some of the rooms. But you can see all 68 rooms at their website: Art Institute Chicago.
Queen Mary's Dollhouse
The Thorne Rooms
In the US, Europe, South Africa and Australia dollhouses are a tradition passed down through generations.
Unlike Brazil, where contemporary scenes are most popular among miniaturists, in those countries there are usually way more settings in past times than recent ones. This is a great thing as miniaturists ends up learning a lot about the history of their own country and of the word. Besides being an extremely therapeutic hobby which also encourages the development of different crafting skills. The aim, while making historical rooms, is to make them as accurate as possible. They are like 3D History classes, and in small scale! No wonder museums are among the main clients of talented artisans, who are commissioned to make accurate reproductions of specific historical events (and places) in settings called dioramas.
On the left you can find a table that might help you find the period of time each era usually refers to. In England each era is known by its ruler, not by the dates, which might be confusing for those unfamiliar with British history. The ones in italics are the most popular ones by far.