Dollhouse Decorating

Miniature Decorating Ideas |Articles on decorating dollhouses and the history of this artform

MyBlog

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

Category Archives: collections

Narcissa Niblack Thorne

Posted on 23 December, 2019

Narcissa Niblack Thorne in her studio, found on Simanaitis Says

She was the wife of James Ward Thorne, son of one of the founders of Montgomery Ward. Her interest in miniatures began early and was encouraged by trinkets sent to her by her uncle, a Rear Admiral in the US Navy. This passion continued into her adult life.

In the 1920s, after World War I, the Thornes traveled extensively in Europe. Thanks to the terrible post-war economy, miniature collections were coming on the market at fire-sale prices.

(more…)

Posted by Patrick Owens

Categories: collections, room boxes

Flora Gill Jacobs South Jersey Dollhouse

Posted on 12 October, 2019

The South Jersey House, Flora Gill Jacobs collection

Flora Gill Jacobs, 87, Who Opened Dollhouse Museum, Dies

By MARGALIT FOX

Published: June 12, 2006

Flora Gill Jacobs, an internationally recognized authority on dollhouses who spent her adult life blissfully awash in minutiae, including tiny, lavishly appointed mansions and an ornate Mexican villa that came with its own chapel (very small priest included), died on May 31 in Washington. She was 87 and lived in Chevy Chase, Md.

(more…)

Posted by Susan Downing

Categories: collections, dollhouses, miniatures, museums

Huguette Clark and the ‘FBI’ Dollhouse

Posted on 22 February, 2019

Japanese-temple-dollhouse-huguette_clark-FBI

Japanese temple dollhouse commissioned by Huguette Clark in the early 1930s. It is part of the collection that attracted the attention of the FBI investigating Japanese sympathizers after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Huguette Clark and the ‘FBI’ Dollhouse

The dollhouse miniature universe is populated by so many interesting people. Some of the most fascinating are the collectors, and perhaps Huguette Clark is the most intriguing of them all. Besides owning an outstanding collection of dolls and miniatures, she was hounded by the FBI in two separate investigations. She also holds the title of the most notorious recluse on Fifth Avenue.

(more…)

Posted by Susan Downing

Categories: collections, dollhouses, dolls