Saturday, September 17, 2022

A 1938 Rich Toys Plantation


Rich Toys produced this lovely colonial mansion dollhouse in 1938, No. 288. 
 It is decorated with a wood medallion in the pediment above the porch, four large pillars,
 seventeen windows with painted on shutters, printed shrubbery, 

           

and two large chimneys on either end.  A vintage ad for this house shows two lawn extensions with six imitation pine trees. George Mundorf is lucky enough to have discovered an example, shown here.



 









This is a large house, 34" wide, 24½" tall at the chimneys, and 16" deep. It is also bulky and heavy when one has to move it alone. This house became part of my collection in 2021. Some of the original furniture has traveled with it over the 84 years of existence. 


I have used most of the original furniture and additional pieces from my collection. 



The kitchen is furnished with Lynnfield appliances and a Kage table and chairs.  
The stool and waste basket are Strombecker.

Lynnfield appliances.

The pantry is one of my additions.

The Kage table and chairs are one of the earlier sets, I added two chairs. 
Kage produced dollhouse furniture from 1938-1948. 



The dining room is furnished with what is referred to as
 German red-stain furniture.

The table and two chairs came with the house.

The hutch is also original to the house; I added the accessories.


These pieces are from my collection.

The clock, hanging by the stairs, is original to the house.



The living room is furnished with Lynnfield, Strombecker, Dolly Dear 
and the built-in fireplace.

The piano and clock are original to the house.

The coffee table is the only item pictured that is original to the house.

The wing back chair and ottoman plus the side table 
are part of the furniture original to the house.



Upstairs, the bathroom is furnished with Strombecker, Dolly Dear
 and Grandmother Stover pieces.

The sink and commode are original to the house....

 also the bathtub, hamper and vanity with bench.



The nursery is furnished with Strombecker, exception is mom's chair.


The youth bed, step stool, side table, the small desk and chair behind
 the little girl, and the bed covers also are original to the house.

The yellow duck shoofly, toy box and chifforobe completed 
the nursery set original to the house. I created the
 bannister rail and then discovered that on Ebay 
austinnoggles sells a lovely one at a reasonable price. 



The parent's bedroom is furnished with Strombecker, 
Lynnfield and Dolly Dear. 

The bed and dresser are original to the house.

This house is over-flowing with pink roses....not what I originally planned.


The fireplace is original to the house, however I have updated it.


                                                 Original                                       Updated with fire box, grate
                                                                                                              with logs, and fender.
 
This original fireplace has been found in Rich Toys dollhouses as early as 1936. 
I have always thought it had a 1970s design. 
Rich continued to use the fireplace in later editions of their houses 
but without the wooden andirons.
                                          

Kitchen, with Lynnfield appliances and Kage table and chairs.

Dining Room, with German furniture.

Living Room, with Lynnfield side table with books, grandfather clock, sofa, coffee table, wing chair and ottoman, Strombecker round side table, piano and bench, and Dolly Dear lamps.

Bathroom, with Strombecker commode, vanity and bench, bathtub, sink and hamper, Dolly Dear magazine rack, and Grandmother Stover bath scale. 

Nursery, with all Strombecker furniture and unknown upholstered chair.

Bedroom, with Lynnfield wing chair, desk and desk stool, 
Strombecker  vanity, bedside table, bed and chest.
Dolly Dear lamps.


Below are the pieces of furniture that have lived in the house for the last 84 years. 
(Accessories are mine.) It is in surprisingly good condition for its' age. 















Items that came with the house that I didn't find a place for:

 
Strombecker chair, radio, clock, small round table and candle stick. 
The white candle sticks are probably Dolly Dear.
 The desk and bench are newer items 
as is the coat that hung on the coat rack by the front door. 

I think it is wonderful that these lovely vintage dollhouses have survived over the decades
....and particularly happy when they come to live with me. 



12 comments:

  1. This post was so much fun to look at. I have so many of the same furnishings, but they are all packed away. You have inspired me to get them out and play with them. I love this house and contents.

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    1. Yes, Shale, you really should get them out and play! It is so enjoyable to get lost in the world of dollhouses!

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  2. What an absolutely Wonderful house, so beautifully preserved! And I love how you furnished it! Michele Policano

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    1. It is a great house, Michele. I am so lucky it came to live with me!

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    2. You furnished your house so beautifully - I guess you always do - but you put me to shame.
      I just took a look at mine and it's very dreary. Great job!

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    3. Thank you George, but a lot of the furniture came with it and I just added more so it wouldn't look bare. Of course I tend to over decorate but can't stop myself on some of these houses. That's part of the fun of collecting them!

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  3. HI, Just found my mansion (like yours) at a flea market a year ago this summer. She was in terrible shape. Leaning, one wall corner had been put together wrong. The bottom floor was not level and bowed down. I got it home and put it in the garage. I decided to take the entire house apart, which I did. Started at the bottom by strengthening the whole floor. It will never sag again. I took out every window. They had paint spatters on them (inside the house) and someone had put fat pieces of white tape across them out onto the walls. It all had to go. My friend JoAnn B. made me all new windows, a new front door, and andirons for the fireplace. I then laid all the walls out and did a different paint job in each room. Finally it was time to put it all back together. I was stymied by the two chimineys and two fire places. So I put a fireplace on each end I see yours is one down and one up stairs. Well, we have one in the kitchen, so cozy. One question. Is your staircase metal or wood? Mine is metal and I read in the Rich Book that this was not done anymore with the advent of WWII coming on. Metal was needed for the war effort.I did not do any painting on the ourside. It was in much better shape. But I did paint the roof green. I am so happy with the outcome and just love this house. I've been slowly getting some Strombecker furniture for it. It's a work in progress. Thanks for letting me post.

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    1. Karen, I have had a few houses like that! It takes a while to bring them back, but so worth it once you finish the job. How cozy that you put the fireplace in the kitchen! I hope i remember that idea when I start fresh on another house. My house has wooden stairs, but I am currently working on a 1936 Rich Tudor with the metal stairs.. My house came from OUR friend JoAnn B.! She had already refurbished it by painting the floor a soft brown that is seen in a lot of Rich houses, and the walls a soft yellow. So really all I had to do was add a few more items. I would love to see pics of your house, even tell your story here on my blog if you wish. Contact me at florinebettge@comcast.net if you are interested in sharing this new house you love with my readers. Cheers, Florine

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  4. Whst a wonderful house and once again your interiors are so charming. Thank you for taking us room by room and then listing each piece and who made them. That is valuable information to us who collect and just starting out. Looking forward to your next post as they are always a treat.

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    1. Thank you, Jamie. I always love seeing your little houses and especially the lovely dolls that live in them!

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  5. What scale did you use in your beautiful house?

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    1. All the furniture is 1:12 scale. Thank you for liking my big little house!

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