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
Two styles of Baroque vie for dominance – Italian and French. In furniture, I vote for the French Baroque dollhouse furniture. The long reign of King Louis XIV (171-1774) marked the beginning of a series of distinct period furniture styles, the first being Baroque. Some of the most beautiful and refined furniture ever made, displaying the highest level of artistic and technical ability, was created in Paris during the eighteenth century.
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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
The 18th Century Room Setting as it appeared in 1917. (C) Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Curator Sarah Wood found that one of the most exciting parts of redisplaying the dolls’ house gallery at the Victoria & Albert Museum has been reviving the so-called ‘18th-century room setting’. This intriguing group of furniture, cutlery, kitchenware, wooden panels, and dolls was purchased by the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1877 when it was bought for ￡20 from a Staffordshire woman named Mrs. Thornhill.
