Cabinet dollhouse made in 1892 by Alois Pauli

Albrecht’s Dollhouse Workshop

In the town of Elsterberg, Germany, not far from the Czech border, is a shop specializing in “beautiful things from the past and the old things newly manufactured.” Besides making sales, the goal of Petra and Albrecht, the owners of Albrecht’s Dollhouse Workshop, is to preserve the tradition of individually created toys and dollhouse miniatures.

Salon in the Alois Pauli Cabinet Dollhouse

The Inventory

The inventory of the shop is not the famous brand names in the German dollhouse history, such as Gottschalk, Charles Hackers, and Schneegass. Rather it is the rooms and furniture of small, traditional companies that have created treasures for children. The incentive for Petra and Albrecht to judge a well-worn dollhouse on its merits and to give it a second life.

Cabinet Dollhouse

One of their current treasures is this cabinet dollhouse made in 1892 by the master carpenter Alois Pauli for his daughter Bertha. It remained in the Pauli family for years. The miniature is built in the Wilhelminian style (Kaiser Wilhelm II: think militaristic, strong verticals)

The shop owners consider it a unique piece of art and have lavishly restored it, being faithful to its original form. They are especially proud of the beautiful old wallpaper, trim and restored furnishings. Casements were newly manufactured and glazed with old 1mm glass. It is hard to distinguish which parts were replaced and which parts are original.

The Red Kitchen Room Box

The Furniture

It can be assumed that the furniture was custom made for this dollhouse, as many aspects cannot be found in factory doll furniture of the time. Most pieces are made of walnut. Fabrics used are the finest available, often vintage cloth. Many of the tabletop and cabinet panels are inlaid.

This elaborate cabinet dollhouse offers a view of the German middle-class, before World War I swept it all away.

Room Boxes

The shop miniatures come in all sizes and designs. They are filled with authentic equipment and goods. What may have been treasures for boys and girls in the past, are Impressive for us today as glimpses of a by-gone era. Items include cardboard boxes, display dishes, candy jars, metal tins of various shapes with beautiful color lithographs.

Nothing is missing. There are scales with tiny weights, paper rolls, cash, play money and decorated with colorful advertisements. Of course, shopping bags are part of each store.

Translation Needed

The Albrecht’s Dollhouse Workshop website is well laid out, and the pictures are beautiful. The text is in German, so be sure to use a browser offering a translation function.

Susan Downing, with Patrick Owens

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I invite you to visit my Etsy Shop where I offer many accessories and pieces of furniture in 1:12 scale.