Doll houses traces its history directly from the “baby houses” of Europe. The baby houses were cabinet display cases made up of rooms. Doll houses come in as many designs as their full size counterparts. In the 16th and 18th centuries doll houses were usually made on commission by cabinet makers for rich patrons. Doll houses have been able to sustain their popularity over the years because of the endless possibilities for their interiors.
The earliest examples of doll houses were found in the Egyptian tombs of the old kingdom nearly five thousand years ago. The earliest known European doll houses are from the sixteenth century. The early European dollhouses were unique. The doll houses were constructed on a custom basis by individual craftsmen.
By the end of the nineteenth Century American doll houses were being made in the United States by The Bliss Manufacturing Company. Germany was the producer of the most prized dollhouses and doll house miniatures up until The Great War. The doll houses of nineteenth and early twentieth century rarely had uniform scales. There have been several standard scales in doll houses over the years.
After the world war II doll houses became mass produced in factories on a much larger scale but at reduced detailed craftmanship. Today several magnificient antique doll houses are on exhibit in museums around the world.
Some famous doll houses:
- One of the most famous and well planned doll houses is Queen Mary's Dolls' House which was designed in 1924.
- One of the most opulent dol lhouses in North America is Colleen Moore's Fairy castle.
- Moomin house, a doll house
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