Antique Dollhouses

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A dollhouse is a toy home, made in miniature. Today's dollhouses trace their history back about four hundred years to the antique baby house display cases of Europe, which showed idealized interiors. Smaller doll houses with more realistic exteriors appeared in Europe in the 18th century. Early antique dollhouses were all handmade, but following the Industrial Revolution and World War II, they were increasingly mass produced and became more standardized and affordable.

The early European dollhouses were each unique, constructed on a custom basis by individual craftsmen. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, factories began mass producing toys, including dollhouses and miniatures suitable for furnishing them. German companies noted for their dollhouses included Christian Hacker, Moritz Gottschalk, Elastolin, and Moritz Reichel. The list of important English companies includes Siber & Fleming, Evans & Cartwright, and Lines Brothers (which became Tri-ang). By the end of the 19th century American antique dollhouses were being made in the United States by The Bliss Manufacturing Company. Rufus Bliss also produced painted tin furniture for his dollhouses. "Bliss" houses, made of wood, were introduced in 1889. At auction, finely crafted unique antique dollhouses can go for thousands of dollars. Some of the more popular styles of antique dollhouses are Victorian and Georgian houses. Dollhouse maker Bonnie Broel is in a league of her own when it comes to her designs and dollhouse value. Her dollhouses have sold for almost one hundred thousand dollars at auction.