I have had a life-long love affair with dollhouse miniatures, and careers in art education and interior design. I hope to combine these life experiences to help other miniature enthusiasts get more out of this wonderful hobby we enjoy, a hobby that often reaches the level of an art form. Susan Downing
Thorne Room (unidentified)
Mid-Victorian furniture design continued the practice of reviving and blending old styles. Add to that, increased world trade introduced middle-eastern and Asian elements to the mix. No particular style dominated. Rather, furniture designers drew inspiration from Elizabethan, Neoclassical and other periods. And it could all be done with machines.
A revolution was about to take place. Artists and designers revolted against the machine age that replaced an individual’s talent. In furniture, the Arts/Aesthetics and Arts & Crafts movements would round out the Victorian era. And a book would be the focal point. But that would come later. The late Victorian era still produced lush decor, as found on the English Manor Dollhouse blog.
Categories: art nouveau, furniture, Victorian
Aesthetic Era Vestibule in a New York City Brownstone
The Aesthetic Movement flourished from 1860 to 1900. A reaction to the machine-made objects promoted in the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851, which allowed the masses to cheaply decorate their homes, designers of furniture and other household products went on a rampage to create beautiful pieces that would uplift the taste of the common man – and make some money in this growing market.
Categories: Aesthetic Movement, Victorian
Gottschalk Victorian Blue Roof Dollhouse found on Ruby Lane
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!
Categories: Victorian
