Miss Miles Dolls House, on exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum

Amy Miles (1857 – 1928) grew up in a prosperous Victorian household. She made this dolls house when she was in her thirties to help keep the memories of her childhood alive. Following is the description posted on the Victoria & Albert Museum website:

“Made by Amy Miles when she was in her thirties, this evocative dolls’ house looks back to her childhood and the house where she grew up in Friern Barnet, North London. It was one of the first dolls’ houses to be collected by the V&A and has been central to the collection ever since.

“Rather than creating a snapshot of a particular time, Amy Miles included gadgets and inventions popular from the 1850s onwards. The geyser in the bathroom was patented in 1868,

Ileana Otini Miss Miles Dolls House video

but was soon surpassed by more reliable methods of heating water. The telephone in the hall would have appeared after 1876 and domestic electric lights weren’t available until the 1890s. In the dining room sits a tiered white wedding cake – made of real sponge cake and icing. These first appeared at the wedding of Victoria’s son, Prince Leopold, in 1882.

“Amy Miles (1857 – 1928) grew up in a prosperous Victorian household, overseen by her father, John Miles, who was the manager of a book publisher, investor in the New River Company, and active philanthropist. Amy was the youngest of five children, and all the girls were taught at home by governesses.”

Click here for a link to the V&A Miss Miles page which includes many great photographs. And here is a link to the main dolls house collection at the V&A.

Click here, or the Ileana Ottini Miss Miles picture above to see a three and a half minute video.

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.