Another Keystone of Boston dollhouse

I haven't discovered the production date for this small 4 room Keystone dollhouse, but most likely it is from the 1937-38 period. Keystone catalogs that have been found do not list/show all the models that were produced. 

An excellent source for Keystone catalogs is found on Derrick Clow's Collecting Keystone blog.

This example from the 1938-39 Keystone catalog, is the same basic dollhouse as mine, but with metal shutters and swing out windows. Keystone catalogs for the years 1936-37 haven't been located; evidently Keystone transitioned from the painted shutters/plastic windows to the metal shutters/swing out windows at that time. 

This house is decorated in German furniture along with American Kage, Tiny Toy and Converse, plus other unknown brands.

This is the home of Dieter and Leisel Schulz and their daughters Ella and Leni.

 

This bedroom set (not including the chair on the right and the baby crib) was made in Germany. The picture below is from Dian Zillner's International Dollhouses & Accessories 1880s-1980s.

The description with the picture reads "German ¾" to 1 foot scale bedroom furniture that includes chairs made exactly like the Red Stain dining room chairs of the same size. Several of the pieces in this set are stamped Germany." My set has been repainted with touches of gold paint added.

 

The kitchen is a mixed lot with a pantry marked Germany, a Converse sink with new faucet, an unknown table and chairs and a stove and fridge from Germany....

 as shown in this picture from Dian Zillner's Antique & Collectible Dollhouses and Their Furnishings.

 

Leni's room has a Kage dressing table, a Tynietoy chair, a sweet little bed possibly homecrafted, a video viewer of Meersburg Germany for a dollhouse and a wardrobe circa 1920;

The couch and chairs are very similar to others I found in Zillner books circa 1900 Germany, the radio is marked Germany, the library table and lamp are 1928 Schoenhut.  Several years ago I stumbled across unfinished Schoenhut lamps on Ebay. I painted this shade pink to bring out the pink flowers in the circular rug. When checking the date for the lamp and library table in Patty Cooper's Schoenhut Dollhouse Furniture 1928-1934,  I discovered it was produced with a pink shade! 

Little Ella is tucked away for the night, 

Leisel is trying to decide if it would be wise to make a pot of coffee this late in the evening.

Leni is checking to see if she has a reflection in her mirror since her friend Klaus told her vampires don't have one.

 Dieter is listening closely to the news on the radio.

Close up pictures of the furniture follow....just because I always do that when I post on this blog.  

The living room furniture arrived with price tags. Evidently they were in an antique shop at one time. I found them on Ebay and I didn't, wouldn't, couldn't pay that for them....but I am glad they came to live in my little Keystone house.

The Lurches arrive in Knoxville

This is an update on Letty Lurch and her twins from my guest blogger, Patty, who has been harboring  Pat.Pending for the last 19 months....

Letty Lurch and the twins, Larry and Linda, arrived at the Knoxville bus station just in the nick of time. Although she had tried to disguise her condition with a muff, Letty was heavy with child.

 

 

 

Two concerned fellow passengers whisked Letty to the hospital.

 

 

                      ...still whisking.

 

 

Letty gives birth to a bouncing baby Lurch.

 

 

 

The good citizens of Knoxville are outraged that they have been harboring a deadbeat dad in their midst. They demand that Loxley Lurch a.k.a. "Pat Pending" be found. Officer Flagg vows to track him like a dog. 

 

 

 

But where is Loxley? What could have persuaded this upstanding man to abandon his family and go into hiding?

Apparently (under the influence of his nefarious cousin Lazarus) Loxley has incurred a rather unfortunate gambling debt, and the Caco gang is determined to collect. The chip on the nose was just a warning of things to come!

 

(What idiot would bet on a hand like that! I suspect that Loxley isn't too good at math.)

 

 

 

He's been hiding out at the old Converse place near Gatlinburg, trying to keep his family safe from the mob and earn a little money to pay off his debt!

 

 

 

Who would have believed that a little hard work could raise enough cash to get the Caco mob off his back AND have a little left over?

 

 

 

As soon as he hears the good news, Loxley rushes to the hospital to see the baby Letty has decided to name "Irene"--not a usual Lurch name, but Loxley is too happy to care. So what if he's been gone for 554 days? If Loxley were good at math, he wouldn't have gotten himself into gambling trouble in the first place.

 

 

Reunited at last!  With the extra money he made doing chores on the farm, Loxley has invested in one of the popular food trucks.  Who knows where the Lurches will go next?