This is my newest Keystone of Boston dollhouse...Keystone #31 for me.
This house looks a little sad, doesn't it? You probably wonder why I would buy such a sad little house....because it is a Keystone of Boston, my favorite American dollhouses!
I had never seen this little house before and had to ask friends if they thought it was a Keystone of Boston. They concurred, and it came to live with my other little houses.
This house dates from around 1935; it is 26" wide and......
.....one friend brought it to my attention that it bears a resemblance to my largest Keystone house above, at 36" wide.
In addition to the 5 windows on the front, this house has 2 windows on each side panel. The openings are not large enough to house the metal diamond-paned shutters that are found on the larger house. It may have had plastic inserts with silk-screened mullions, possibly in similar diamond-paned design to go with the Tudor theme.
It looks like it is missing window frames on the lower level, although there are no indications that there was ever anything attached.
I am happy that it has the original chimney,
although they are not too hard to recreate.....
...and the original porch steps.
The door surround is another problem, and will require some research.
I am totally in love with the interior graphics in this house. I have not seen these before, although I am sure some of Keystone's older houses probably had them. I will need to recreate the graphics on the upper and lower interior walls when I make them.
Yes, it is missing the second floor, but I have replaced quite a few second floors!
Here are some close-ups of the wonderful graphics:
....the green side,
...the blue side,
....and the wonderful kiddie-themed room!
I think the water stains around the lower floor will be the hardest to repair. A friend shared with me that Mr. Clean, or other brand Easy Erasers, were good for cleaning these little houses. They are usually gentle with the old surfaces, but sometimes cause crazing in the paint.
Update: I have found that Murphy Oil Soap is the best cleaner to use on these wonderful old houses. It is very gentle and smells great!
If you have a model of this Keystone house, or have seen a picture of it, I am hoping you will share information that will help me to bring this wonderful old house as close to it's original state as possible. Look for it again this time next year!
Update: It didn't happen "next year", it took 4 years! You can see it here.
