Gottschalk Victorian Blue Roof Dollhouse found on Ruby Lane

Victorian Style Dollhouses

It is a huge subject, of course. I thought I would do a series of posts. The best approach seemed to categorize by time period, then by room or object. And I learned from hanging around Dougless Bitler at the Cabbage Patch (way back in the day), that authenticity is critical!

Victorian Farm House found on Pinosy.com

Being a visual person, I started my research by Googling “Victorian Dollhouses” and click on “More Images.” What a confusing bunch of beautiful pictures! Of course, there is no single Victorian style. One architectural tome states the following: “A Victorian house is any house that was built during the reign of Queen Victoria of England, which lasted from June 20th, 1837 to January 22, 1901. How many styles were popular during that period?

Beats me, but here is a list of just the major headings:

British Arts and Crafts, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Jacobean, Neoclassicism, Neo-Grecco, Painted Ladies, Queen Anne, Renaissance Revival, Romanesque Revival, Second Empire, Stick-Eastlake, Industrial Architecture

None of these styles stayed pure. Architects and builders mixed and matched elements during Queen Victoria’s life. Dollhouse artisans did the same.

The Victorian-style was extremely eclectic and every room in a Victorian house can be decorated in a different style. This is great for dolls house [enthusiasts] because many different colors, furniture, and decorative items can be put together in a house letting you run wild with your creativity. While the dining room may be Elizabethan, the halls may be gothic and the living room Queen Anne.

I still want to do some posts on Victorians, but more thinking is required.

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.