Tuesday, December 28, 2021

A Dora Kuhn dresser lands in a charming Wolverine dollhouse....

 It all started with this little Dora Kuhn dresser....


I occasionally sell on Ebay and sometimes buyers share with me just where my little treasures have landed. Chris, the new owner of this little dresser, shared the most charming pictures of her Wolverine house with an eclectic mix of furnishings, including items she created. I was so captivated by her little house that I asked if I could share it with you. Here is a guest post from Chris!

Received the lovely Dora Kuhn dresser yesterday, via E-bay, and am so pleased with it! Thought you might like to see what I’ve done with it. It’s become a sideboard in the living/dining room of the Wolverine tin litho dollhouse here.

Though tempted by the occasional Canadian (Eagle) and British (Mettoy) that turns up, I’ve limited my collection to just American tin litho dollhouses.  I’ve about forty now, good heavens! The Lord has provided opportunities to acquire, and room to display, and I am grateful for each Marx, T Cohn, Wolverine, Jayline, Meritoy, Ohio, etc. tin abode.

I’ve seen your informative blog, and am impressed by your knowledge of not only the doll houses, but their furniture as well.  Most of my doll houses here contain a happy eclectic mixture of vintage pieces (from thrift shops and online) and items I’ve made.  

I’ve lately grown fond of the Dora Kuhn articles, and have outfitted one of my Wolverines as a rather “neo-peasant” house, with mostly Dora Kuhn things.  This house has rooms large enough to allow for 1:12 or 1:10 scale furniture. Accessories are SOMEWHAT to that scale.  Some treasures I want in them are larger, but seem to nevertheless work. I often paste magnets or magnetic sheeting to the backs of items, and then attach to the metal walls.  Works well.



I hand-built the pair of steins. I made and sold pottery for years, and like forming this fun little stuff! Also made the clay face on the wall, originally a pin. Matroishka egg is a Christmas ornament. The small red Chinese dish is a gift from friends. 

Sewed all the curtains, quilts, bedclothes, towels, and cushions. I like the red checks, though I realize the scale of checks here is smaller than the usual cloth articles that come with old Dora Kuhn furniture. 

Had two old plain wood discs, which I painted up somewhat in that style, and ‘magnetized’ to the wall.  Pieta portrait is a printout (Google) of an old German reverse-glass painting. A mini real geode lurks in the corner.


                           

                           

I sewed the curtains with a pocket on the tops to hold a skinny craft stick, and pasted a magnet on each end of the curtains’ backs to attach to the tin wall. Above photos of the back and the front of a curtain.




I made the wall clock from a portion of a plastic Dollar Tree toy clock, added chains and printout clock face, and painted it up. Also signed the back with my name and date since I would not want any future owners or sellers to think it was an oldie Dora Kuhn one!

Made the giant mugs on the table. Though also quite huge, I really like the blue enamel pitcher and fruit bowl, so they stay. Also made the mugs and plates in the kitchen. I stitched around the tablecloth, a portion of an old handkerchief.




The other side of this room is the 'home office', with computer and books. Like a real lawyer's bookcase, the doors swing up when opened. The stack of books in the corner is a Christmas ornament, with an open dollhouse-sized book face-down on top. Tree globe and 'Believe' glass-topped turtle are also gifts from friends. More treasures!. 

Printout of Pieter Bruegel's "Peasant Wedding" (1566-69) hangs on wall above the computer. You'll notice there are some non-Dora Kuhn items also throughout the house. 



This is the entire Office/Living/Dining Room. Rug is a computer mouse pad (Amazon).


The kitchen:






The upstairs:


The Bathroom. The Dora Kuhn red cabinet on the wall is now the family's medicine chest.



 Over the tub is a Bosch print.




Parents’ Bedroom. The Father dug out his trumpet from the attic, to practice for his solo for this year’s Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.


The bureau you see at the end of the bed was sold to me with drawers missing, so I made it into a bookcase. 



The children’s room. You see the sister and brother Helga and Hans, sharing some secret. 

They are about a year apart in age, and each slept in the cradle their first few months after they  were born. But now, their Mother lets Helga keep her dolly and books in it.



Here is a more up-to date picture of the entire house. I changed out the living/dining room carpet. This new one is the same carpet print as Sigmand Freud had on his office floor (AND another of same pattern on his couch), in Austria. Thought it gives the place a further Bavarian flavor.



Whoa! Notice who’s come to visit, and is sitting to have a doughnut and hot drink?   Weihnachtsmann!!!!    Or as we know him, Santa Claus! Or Father Christmas. Maybe Helga knows he’s here, and his visit is the secret they’re upstairs sharing.

Merry Christmas!


Sunday, November 14, 2021

Another Trixy Toy Dollhouse




This is my second Trixy Toy dollhouse 
made by the Durrel Company of Boston, MA, during the late 1920s.



Granny Ramey lives in this two story cardboard house.



Her house has four rooms....living room and kitchen on the first floor, 
with her bedroom and bath on the second floor. 
She is happy that her house came furnished with curtains.



Granny Ramey's living room is furnished with a green flocked suite placed across from the fireplace. The mantel clock and the log basket 
are not Kage products, but made to resemble original Kage.




Granny must like green.... she has green appliances and a green table 
in her kitchen. Both match well with the curtains that came with the house.




Moving upstairs...whoops, no stairs!  Her bedroom is cozy 
with walnut furniture and a fireplace to keep her toasty on winter nights.



A change of color for Granny Ramey....with a blue suite of bath fixtures.





We leave Granny Ramey enjoying a refreshing snack in her cozy little home.




Granny Ramey is a German Caco doll with metal hands and feet and stands 
3” tall,  made approximately in the early 1950s. The best information on Caho/Caco dolls can be found at  diePuppenstubensammlerin - Collecting old German dolls houses

 

The flocked green living room suite was listed in the 1949 Strombecker catalog.
The end table was first shown as a night stand with Strombecker's 1933 bedroom set. The lamp is shown in 1938 with Strombecker's 1" scale furniture. The base of the lamp has been repainted, the original color was black.



The kitchen set is part of  Strombecker's  1935-36 furniture production .



Kage dollhouse furniture was made in Manchester, CT from 1938-1948. These three pieces are from the later period before production ceased in 1948. The bed is from the last design of furniture. 


Kage fireplaces can be found in several different sizes with the later ones having natural wood mantels.  The piano bench is being used as a table.


Schoenhut produced this lamp starting in 1931.



This Trixy Toy house came to me missing the inner wall and second floor, 
but otherwise in fairly good shape. It took me several years 
to tackle re-creating them.  A partial chimney 
came with the house, so the two chimneys are also new. 



This picture, found in Zillner & Cooper's Antique & Collectible Dollhouses and Their Furnishings, is the same house with a blue and red color scheme.





My first Trixy Toy house was a one room house with two dormers. 
I blogged about it in 2016, you can read about it here  
and also see the furniture made by Trixy Toy for their houses.

Information provided on the Strombecker, Kage and Schoenhut furniture come from Patty Cooper's wonderful books on dollhouse furniture and can be purchased on Blurb.com:
The Complete Guide to StromBecker Dollhouses & Furniture 1931-1961



Monday, October 25, 2021

American Soft Metal Dollhouse Furniture....a new book by Patty Cooper

 

Most collectors of dollhouse furniture are familiar with the soft metal furniture circa 1890-1920, but how many of you know which company produced your set? Do you recognize the pattern of your soft metal furniture from the picture below?  This book may be able to help. 





Over the last century, much misinformation has been published about soft metal furniture. With access to newly digitized documents online, Patty has produced an informative and interesting book that will help collectors distinguish between the different companies that made the "intricate, filigree designs that are more like jewelry than dollhouse furniture". 

Pictures of the actual furniture are shown along with original advertisements published during the same period the furniture was manufactured. Four main manufacturers with similar products are showcased....Peter F. Pia, Adrian Cooke and his "Fairy Furniture", the firm of Jacob Goetz's Sons, and the manufacturing entrepreneur E.W. Blatchford & Company. A comprehensive history of each company is detailed....and dollhouse furniture wasn't the only product produced before or after the period 1890-1920.

Some examples from the book include this 'Columbus Furniture' by the Pia firm, first exhibited at the The World's Columbus Exposition held in Chicago in 1893.



Adrian Cooke's Fairy Furniture 'Ribboned  Horseshow' furniture set, which is often confused with Pia's Horseshoe set. 




The 'Doll Mansion' produced by Jacob Goetz's Sons.




 
And mantles and easels from E W Blatchford & Company.

              



Not being very familiar with the soft metal furniture made during this long ago  period, I was truly amazed at the information Patty has compiled. I was also delighted to be able to identify my only soft metal set as "Wings" made by the Peter F Pia company.....the set found on the cover of this new volume of dollhouse furniture information.  May you be as lucky! 

This book, along with Patty's other 12 wonderful volumes of dollhouse furniture publications, can be found on Blurb.com.  https://assets.blurb.com/b/10865102-american-soft-metal-dollhouse-furniture-ca-1890-19


Sunday, September 12, 2021

A lovely Korbi Bedroom Set by Karl Schreiter and Company

 


This lovely bedroom set was made in Germany by Karl Schreiter and Company during the 1920s. Produced in Germany's Erzgebirge region, this 6 piece set is made of pressed cardboard to resemble wicker. It is most often referred to as Korbi dollhouse furniture.

This set is between 1:10 and 1:12 scale, painted a rich cream with red trim. I have never seen a complete bedroom set before, just the bed or dresser with other Korbi pieces. 

When I found it, I was sure it had been repainted. After cleaning and discovering the original "Germany" stamp on the bottom of each piece, I realized I had a rare set of Korbi bedroom furniture in pristine condition. 

side tables and vanity stool



beds


dresser

There is virtually no wear on the edges of the different pieces, a common factor in most of the found Korbi that is now at 100 years of age. I did have to re-glue both headboards onto the frames of the beds and one arm back to the vanity stool. All three pieces have brown glue stain at glue points, signs of being re-glued before.





Only the mirror, the top of the dresser and the top of one side table show signs of paint loss....amazing for Korbi furniture. 




The beds are 5" long and 3⅜” wide.




The dresser is 3⅝” wide and 4⅝”  tall.



The end table bases are 1½" square and 2¼" tall.



The vanity stool is 2½" wide and 2½" tall at the top of the side arms. 




Many lovely pieces of Korbi dollhouse furniture can be found on-line. There is also a page on Pinterest dedicated to Korbi furniture... https//:pinterest.co.uk.lindalovelymum/korbi 
(sorry, google blogs no longer allow us to provide a live link to another site....back to cut and paste!).

                 
   

                            

                                


                                    



                                      





                   
           


However....

....mine is truly a lovely set that I am delighted to add to my collection.