Sunday, September 15, 2013

My newest Keystone of Boston doll house....



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 1936; 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.
 
 
 
 
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!
 


Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Thru the eyes of teenagers....

Earlier this year I donated a doll house to the photography teacher at the high school where my son teaches art. She enjoyed seeing a photography exhibit at one of the local galleries highlighting everyday scenes set up in dollhouses, and she thought she could develop a fun lesson for her students. She shared just a few pictures with me. I'm not sure if each scene was part of a longer story or just individual shots.
I've added some captions....feel free to make your own.


 
Don't know what they're doing, but they laugh a lot behind the green door!
 
 

 
"MOM! Sally is picking on me!"



 
Hugging the porcelain throne....



 
They laughed when I sat down to play....
 
 
 

 
Taking the carpet to the cleaners....
 
 
 

 
Happy to see the tail-end of those little brats...