Miniature History

Who was the first to create a miniature? Where are the most famous collections?

Miniatures and Miniature Accessories have grown massively in popularity with thousands of people in countries all over world now involved in Miniature Collecting. But how did Small Scale Furniture, Miniature Copies, Tiny Teacups, Miniature Houses and the like come to be? Who was the first to build a Miniature Replica of their Home and who was the first Miniature Craftsman. Read on for more info. . .

Dollhouses were invented in Germany in the 17th century. Who invented the very first dollhouse is unclear and the subject of much debate. However, one thing is certain: Dollhouses were extremely rare and expensive toys for the privileged children of aristocrats. The houses were painstakingly produced by hand out of wood, sometimes replicating the actual home in which the family lived, sometimes a miniature replica of a well-known building, and sometimes consisting of a brand new architectural design. The miniature doll house was elaborately furnished with miniature versions of not only furniture but also paintings, tapestries and other wall hangings, all generally to scale. Even full kitchen furnishings were reproduced, from teapots to china dishes, fire places to ovens and even cutlery.

Dollhouses quickly gained favour throughout Western Europe as a must-have item for the well-to-do. Although the dollhouse was considered a “toy,” the definition of a toy was far different in those days than it is today. In an era when children were seen and not heard, the children of the aristocracy were taught from an extremely early age to treat their possessions with the utmost care and respect. The dollhouse other miniature accessories occupied a place of honor within the home and children were expected to admire the dollhouse, touching it only rarely and quite carefully.

By the 19th century, the dollhouse had evolved into a more modern version of a toy. Mass production allowed dollhouses and their accompanying miniature furnishings to be acquired at a much lower cost. Children in this era were allowed to be children rather than miniature adults and dollhouses were considered an actual plaything. What had once been the province of the extremely wealthy now became accessible to the emerging middle class.

In the 20th century, dollhouse production underwent many changes. New materials and methods of production created a larger than ever market of dollhouses in every price range. Some dollhouses mirrored contemporary homes while others recalled the history days gone by in miniature.

The invention of plastic changed the face of the dollhouse market in many ways. Nearly indestructible, low cost dollhouses were now available to the masses. Many children of the late 20th century received their first dollhouse as toddlers, the indestructible plastic pieces serving as great learning tools.

Nonetheless, the love of handmade antique or antique style dollhouses has not waned. No longer are playthings for wealthy children, handmade dollhouses are now commissioned by collectors at all levels of society. It is also possible to build your own dollhouse from a wide variety of materials, adding another level of personalization.

Dollhouses have undergone many changes throughout the centuries in terms of building materials, price range and accessibility to people at all levels of society. However, dollhouses and miniatures continue to amaze and inspire just as they did when first invented. A dollhouse can teach lessons in history, architecture, interior design and decoration. It can also inspire imagination and fantasy play. From handcrafted wooden showpieces to mass-produced plastic houses and furnishings to DIY cardboard houses, the dollhouses of today are accessible to every family regardless of social status, disposable income and age of children. Dollhouses and Miniatures have truly become a part of the universal consciousness.

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Throughout history, people have been fascinated by miniatures and have made tiny replicas of life-size objects for many different purposes. The ancient Greeks constructed models of temples before building them. Toy-sized guns and armor guided Medieval armament manufacturers. Cabinet makers used miniature furniture as work samples. In the 18th century, dolls meticulously dressed in the latest European fashions were shipped to the New World so that colonial ladies could maintain an up-to-date attire. And today, manufacturers frequently make small-scale prototypes of new products as part of the development process.

Displays of miniatures apparently originated in Germany in the 16th century. The most famous of those early displays were the Nuremberg Kitchens, tiny duplicates of people-sized kitchens frequently given to little girls as "educational toys" of their time.

Wealthy burghers and noblemen of Germany and the Netherlands spent the next couple of centuries displaying miniatures in "art" cabinets, the shelves being divided into "rooms", completely outfitted with furniture and accessories.

But it was Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria who commissioned the first doll house of record- a four-story palace complete with ballroom, chapel and zoo. The finished product, intended as a gift for his daughter, so pleased the Duke, the story goes, that he immediately added it to his art collection.

Since then, doll houses and their furnishings have continued to intrigue both makers and collectors of all ages. Some of the more famous examples include Queen Mary's doll house in England and Colleen Moore's castle located in Chicago's Museum of Industry and Art.

Dollhouses have been a popular toy for several centuries, delighting children of many ages, both girls and boys, in many countries. Before children were ever allowed to play with dollhouses, these small-scale homes were built for adults as decorative collector's items. Antique dollhouses are often on display in museums, but when they are for sale, wealthy collectors will sometimes spend thousands of dollars to bring them home for upkeep and display.
The first known dollhouse was built for a Bavarian Duke, Albert V, in the 16th Century. It became common for wealthy citizens to commission craftsmen to build dollhouses and miniature furniture.

Because many people could not afford intricate dollhouses, a "cupboard dollhouse" became popular. This dollhouse looked like a regular piece of furniture, but once it was opened, tiny rooms with furniture and miniature dolls were featured on display.

With the advent of mass production, dollhouses (often called "baby houses") became much more popular among children in the mid-17th Century. They became common in nurseries as toys and as tools to teach girls about domestic life.

In the early 20th Century, dollhouse makers began constructing dollhouses "to scale." The popular scale at the time was the 1-inch to 1-foot scale. (A perfectly scaled dollhouse was built for Queen Mary in the early 1920s.) In this way, the dollhouse displays began to look more formal and like real miniature rooms. Today, this is an important aspect for the dollhouse collector, as there are several scales to be found.

In more recent years, dollhouses have become extremely popular for children, especially young girls, and are probably still instructional to some extent in the ways of the home. Small children are often given plastic dollhouses that are hard to break, but as they begin to mature, the gift of a lifelike dollhouse can become a prized possession.

Adults are still avid collectors of dollhouses. Some enthusiasts like to build one after another while furnishing them with miniature people and seemingly shrunken household items that have incredible detail. The satisfaction in building and completing intricate, accurately detailed dollhouses can be enormous, and the cost of materials is very fair.

Building dollhouses has become a popular and affordable hobby for the masses, which is quite a change from its humble beginnings, when it was only available to the privileged few. Many of us enjoy collecting, in one sense or another, and upon further inspection, may find a great deal of fascination in the world of dollhouses as well.

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