Coleman Dollhouse

The following post is an edited compilation of material found on the National Museum of Miniatures & Toys website.

A Dollhouse Like No Other

At first glance inside T/m’s dollhouse exhibit, Let’s Play House, the gigantic Coleman Dollhouse might appear to be one of the trendy “tiny houses.” We love superlatives around

here at the museum (smallest, oldest, biggest) and Coleman Dollhouse tops the dollhouse chart at over nine feet tall, eight feet wide, and four feet deep. Although it wasn’t meant to be lived in by people, it was the playtime home for some lucky children in the nineteenth century.

The grand dollhouse was originally owned by the Coleman family, who lived in a 39-room mansion in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, called The Homestead. In 1935, the Coleman family gifted The Homestead to the city. By 1961, the home had fallen into disrepair and was slated for demolition. Luckily, a salvage crew discovered the disassembled dollhouse before razing the estate. We’ll take a peek inside Coleman House next time!

Inside The Coleman Dollhouse

When the massive Coleman Dollhouse was discovered in the Coleman family estate, it did not have its original contents. As a result, we can only guess how the six Coleman children must have played with this playhouse-like structure.  When the dollhouse came to T/m, it was set up according to the style of the 1880s, using appropriately-sized furnishings and dolls.

Coleman House’s outer façade is covered in a textured finish comprised of paint and sand, a technique called rustication. The front of the house has two large hinged doors that close and lock with a skeleton key. The basement level sides also have hinged doors that reveal a billiards room and a kitchen.

Where Did It Go?

Extensive renovations at the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures required the Coleman Dollhouse to be dismantled and placed in storage for three years. How do you move a nine-foot-tall, seven-foot-wide dollhouse? Lovingly pack every last item individually, take it apart piece by piece and carefully mark the location of each one when the reassembly process begins. Click here to see the video.

The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures features the world’s largest fine-scale miniature collection and one of the nation’s largest antique toy collections on public display.  It is only fitting that one of the world’s largest 1/12th scale dollhouse is included.

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.