Sunday, December 23, 2018

Christmas over the years in my dollhouse village....

Christmas 2018.... 
 in a 1941 Keystone of Boston dollhouse 
with Tiny Town dolls and Lynnfield Blockhouse furniture.

           


Christmas 2017.... 
in a 1960 German Dora Kuhn dollhouse 
with German Caco dolls and Dora Kuhn furniture. 




Christmas 2016.... 
in a 1950 Keystone of Boston dollhouse 
with German Kunstlerschutz dolls and Kage furniture.

    


Christmas 2015....
in a 1924 Triang dollhouse from UK
with German Caco dolls and German red stain furniture.



Christmas 2014....
in a 1949 Rich Toys dollhouse
with German Caco dolls and Strombecker furniture.



Christmas 2013....
in a 1940 Rich Toys dollhouse 
with German Caco dolls.


Christmas 2012....
in a 1928 Schoenhut dollhouse
with German bisque dolls and Schoenhut furniture. 



To see Christmas decorations in my dollhouse village in 2009, 
click on Greetings of the Season....from Texas!


Wishing all of my readers
a wonderful holiday season
and the best of 2019!



Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Keystone of Boston Siblings


Two Keystone of Boston dollhouses that look enough alike to be sisters, 
or brothers, or sister and brother. If they are "sisters", 
then we know that the one on the right is the "prettier sister". 
No jealousy here however because I think 
the house on the left has a rather masculine look. 
Both dollhouses are a product of the 1930s.  I have a 1937 
W. Bingham Co. catalog that shows the "plain" sister on the left.


Both houses originally came with two rooms, upper floor and lower floor. 
Since they came to live in my dollhouse village, 
they have managed to acquire two new rooms each!


The pretty sister has plastic windows and painted on shutters, 
 with a tall chimney in the center of the house. 
It is the home of Grandmother Specht. 



Grandmother Specht turned it into a cozy little home, 
with furniture and kitchen appliances from Kage 
and bathroom fixtures from Strombecker. 


She likes to sit in her comfy chair and knit sweaters 
for the homeless veterans living on our streets.  


Over the mantel she has a picture of herself 
with her late husband, Mr. Specht.....


....and over the sofa is her mother's cherished Tynietoy mirror. 


Grandmother Specht likes her blue and white kitchen 
with her mother's painted tray hanging on the wall.


Seeing her single bed makes her feel lonely 
for her late husband...



...so she keeps a picture of Mr. Specht 
hanging over a chest in her bedroom. 


Blue bathroom fixtures! I do think she likes the color blue.


The pretty sister's sibling came to me missing 
the door surround and the upper window. 
I crafted the door surround with other Keystone parts I had available....


...so it doesn't exactly match this picture from the catalog, 
or the door surround on the pretty sister. 



This is the home of Tom and Kitty Katz. 
They have furnished their home 
with Realy Truly furniture made by Converse 
and Schoenhut kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures. 


That is not an apple on Kitty's head.


Tom Katz likes to sit in his chair and think about the days 
he used to tease the dogs in the neighborhood...from the top of a fence. 
There is a statue of his favorite "pal" on the radio.


Kitty didn't look to happy in the living room....
guess that's why nothing is cooking in the kitchen.



They do keep a bowl of snacks on the kitchen buffet. 


Sometimes they sleep under the bed...or on top of the dresser.



Tom wanted a litter box in the bathroom, 
but Kitty put her paw down and told him a firm NO!


Kitty and Tom Katz are made of plaster. Looking at the wires coming out of the top of their heads, they are either ornaments or aliens from another planet.  
Grandmother Specht is a small Ermey doll from Germany. 

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

A 1938 Keystone with a garage.....

This is a Keystone of Boston dollhouse produced in 1937-38. It is one of their enhanced models with wooden shutters on the second floor as opposed to the shutters that are painted on above the garage doors, and wooden pine trees on either side of the front door. I'm wondering if the blue roof originally matched the bright blue on the shutters and garage door. 

It is filled with many brands of furniture, not all identifiable.


It is the home of Jim and Gloria Stewart and their daughters Julie and Kathy.


 Julie and Kathy play quietly in their room.....



and dad sits patiently in his chair while mom gets ready for their family portrait for a holiday greeting card.


And here it is!  Such a happy little family! 


The Stewart's lovely home has five rooms.....
 ...the living room, with stenciled/silk screened "wallpaper" in lavender, 

 the kitchen with "wallpaper" in green, 

 the parent's bedroom, 

 the bedroom of Julie and Kathy, 

and the bathroom located over the garage. 



The living room chairs, end tables and corner shelf are German made. The end tables and corner shelf are what is referred to as German Red-Stain and thought to have been produced by several German manufacturers during the 1920-30s. 

The sofa may be from Schoenhut's 1930 production line, originally in a "Natural Wood Finish Not Varnished" or possibly from a line of furniture imported from Germany at the same time. More information on Schoenhut's complete line of dollhouse furniture can be found in 
Schoenhut Dollhouse Furniture 1928-1934 by Patty Cooper, in soft cover or instant PDF download. 

My chairs were originally a natural wood finish like the chair in the middle, but German manufacturers also sold the chair upholstered like the chair on the right. 

The Schoenhut book indicates that both size sofas were available around 1930, with the smaller sofa being available in aqua or orange. My sofa, with a set of chairs, arrived painted black.


I am particularly fond of German Red-Stain pieces. The lamp is Schoenhut from their initial production line of 1928. 

I was lucky to find a stock of vintage unpainted lamps on Ebay. 





I love the
shape of 
this
lamp!










The kitchen appliances were originally sold at Marshall Field in Chicago, and have also appeared for sale in Chestnut Hill Studios and Mark Farmer catalogs. Lynnfield breakfast nook and table, and Schoenhut cabinet in green.


Kitchen appliances, known among my dollhouse collector friends as "favorite kitchen".



This page from a Grandmother Stover's catalog indicates that these kitchen appliances were made in Chicago exclusively for Marshall Field. 


This Lynnfield breakfast nook, table and chairs, circa 1940,  is not in the best of condition, but still a lovely set.



Sally Ann wrote her name under the table which is also stamped Made in U.S.A.

The china cabinet is found in the Schoenhut catalog of 1930 and was part of the dining room set produced for their Apartment House Rooms. 



Both American and German furniture is found in the parent's bedroom. 


This furniture is not marked for manufacturer. I do have a larger dresser, in the same unusual pink color, with matching legs and exact mirror spindles, that is marked Germany. I have also seen this set in pale yellow and pale blue.


The chest is Schoenhut from their 1930 line. The chair is not marked, but resembles upholstered furniture made by Vinnie Doll House Furniture and Wee Dollhouse Furniture that was produced late 1930s thru 1940s. The carpet is one of those wonderful Japanese made furniture doilies so popular with dollhouse collectors.


 Julie and Kathy's room is decorated in pink, blue and ivory. 

 These sweet little beds, missing their unattached bedspreads, are marked Wee Dollhouse Furniture. The bedside table is Strombecker.


The hand painted dresser and chair are circa 1920s, either American or German, and have a matching bed that came with the set. The toy chest is Strombecker.




This wooden bath set was sold at Marshall Field, featured in the1951 Chestnut Hill catalog and also in the 1961-62 Mark Farmer catalog with the kitchen furniture shown above. The hamper is part of the Strombecker line. 


This delightful scale was produced in 1935 by Strombecker.