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GALLERY of IMAGES continued

section 7: everything else! such as sewing & various accessories (items for the desk,  vases, statues, bird cages....)

images & photography: Jennifer McKendry ©

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INDEX of GALLERY HISTORY of Dollhouses article

NOTES:

1. Although this 6-inch ruler will not likely be 6 inches wide on your screen, I thought it might be helpful for comparing centimetres (bottom row) and inches, as all the items in this section are described in inches. If you are used to cm, you could look here and see that, for example, an object measured at 4 inches high is more or less 10 cm high -- a figure, which may mean more to you and which you can visualize more readily.

2. The close-up photography, artificial lighting and exaggerated size on your computer screen may reveal more flaws in the manufacturing process and condition than are apparent when the miniature is displayed in a dollhouse.

3. "Real" in the following descriptions means an actual object at full scale not a miniature or toy.

4. Other accessories are scattered through the Galleries (especially 1 overall, 4 kitchen & dining, 5 parlour and 6 bedroom & nursery), which may also show the settings for them.

SEWING

It is difficult to be certain which room was used for sewing, as it likely varied from household to household. Fine hand-work by the house's wife and daughters might occupy them in the parlour, while the more pragmatic sewing of bed linens and clothing may have been done by servants or travelling seamstresses in a room set aside for that purpose, in their bedrooms or in the kitchen.

servants while hand-stitching appear discontent with their lot; whereas, women working with sewing machines in posher settings seem to be enjoying themselves; early versions of sewing machines in 1863 (bottom left) and 1884 (bottom right) from Godey's Lady's Book; by the 1880s, sewing machines were becoming more commonplace but still worked by hand or foot power; in the early 20th century, electric power made inroads into regions serviced by electricity; in the 1884 ad, note the relatively small size of the machine compared to the women, as it suggests dollhouse versions may be appropriately delicate and small in appearance compared with somewhat larger chairs, etc.

above right 1884

above left 1863

late 19th to early 20th centuries sewing table, sewing stand and sewing machine for placement in dollhouses

no maker's marks, painted metal, likely 1880s; turning the wheel makes the bar and needle move up and down; 3 inches high; (missing   a small wheel on the upper structure)

  ad for a real sewing machine in Eaton's catalogue, Toronto, Canada, of 1888-89; small drawers for supplies were usually found as part of the stand and a box (lying on its end behind the foot treadle) to cover the machine when not in use; the Empress also had a basket for supplies hanging on one end of the metal stand

Rococo Revival S and C shapes with vines and foliage decorate the pierced ends

A tea party on top of the closed Singer sewing table in 1899

delicate metal stands in imitation bamboo holding a basket filled with a thimble, thread, lace, ribbon, etc., found with the item -- perhaps added by a parent not too concerned with scale; the lid is lined with pleated pale blue silk and hinged by a tied ribbon; stars and geometric bars form an attractive design, 1½ inches in diameter; one stand's base has tripod legs and the other has four paired straight legs with a shelf near the floor; c1910

above right undated trade card c1900

right compare with a real "work basket on stand" woven from white straw with cover, 12 inch diameter, about 30 inches high, illustrated in the Nerlich catalogue, Toronto, Canada, 1908-09; also one with 4 legs and bottom shelf left

wooden sewing table with drawer divided to hold supplies, 2¾ inches high, likely German

Small small scale Biedermeier sewing table with original accessories in drawer; fleur-de-lis decorate the imitation inlay (Boulle or Buhl marquetry) border of the top

painted tin sewing machine by Meier (note "M" in oval on base) of Germany, early 20th century (be careful about reproductions)

right 1871 ad for a real sewing machine in Canada

metal sewing machine with the machinery at right angles to the length of the top

pedal

FOR THE DESK

Below Ormolu inkwell stand with candleholder, Erhard & Söhne, Germany, and in catalogue, early 20th century, 2 inches long; the gilt colour is seen on the reverse surfaces, as is the relief work (but concave if convex on the top surface and visa versa)

note: For readers interested in products made by the Erhard & Söhne Company, see Swantje Köhler, Ormolu Dollhouse Accessories, Metal Toys from the Erhard & Söhne Company, 2007.

below: real inkwell stand in Art Nouveau style with a candleholder and a pair of covered ink pots, illustrated in an American catalogue c1900, silver

Soft metal letter holder with original cards and envelopes; front card inscribed "Friendship", 2½ inches long

Metal and marble inkwell, 1¾ inches long, no maker's mark

advertisement for a bronze real ink stand and cutter with a pair of glass inkwells, Youth's Companion, 30 Oct. 1890

Imitation green marble inkstand (made of metal) with separate clock and blotter, marked Germany, 1¾ inches long, also made in imitation reddish-brown marble

Metal blotter and inkwell with a lid made of curved glass over enamel decorations , marked Germany, 1¾ inches long, lid ½ inch diameter

Metal inkstand with a pair of soldiers with shields and two pairs of hooks to hold pens and pencils (glasses added; the metal pots were made without hinged lids), 1¼ inches long

VASES & URNS

Glass

left 1½ inches high

right 2¼ inches high

glass container with S handle and milkglass decanter, each 1¼ inches high                         

Fine china glazed jug with hand painted detailing, marked W.H. Goss, English, 1860s, 1 inch high

left Parian ware 2-handle amphora, a classical Greek design, made in Germany, 1¼ inches high

right above putto in high relief on ornamental ceramic vase in the Art Nouveau style, 1½ inches high

rose in high relief with hand-painted stem and leaves,  1¼ inches high

glass boot, 1¼ inches high

hand-blown glass, mauve swirl with black handle, 1¾ inches high

Above Fine china, ½ inch high, initialled JR [?]

ornamental containers in china, hand-painted in the very fashionable Japanese style; on left,  just over ½ inch high; on right,  ¾ inch high

lleft vase in Art Nouveau style, fine china, mauve, 2¼ inches high; tall vases and urns were often placed directly on the floor as ornaments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

right above Alabaster vase, 2 inches high

painted metal vase and flowers, flat profile with relief moulding; marked Medein, Germany; 3½ inches high

note angel heads

one of a pair of painted metal vases and flowers, flat profile with relief moulding; 3¾ inches high

painted metal vase and flowers, flat profile with relief moulding, marked Germany, 3½ inches high

ormolu vase by Erhard & Söhne, Germany, in catalogue (right), early 20th century; 1 3/8 inches high; also shown holding dried flowers; also shown as an oil lamp with metal base and ring to hold a pink & white glass shade and clear glass chimney

ormolu vases by Erhard & Söhne, Germany, in catalogue, early 20th century; also shown without dried flowers; also shown as an oil lamp with metal base and ring to hold a pink & white glass shade and clear glass chimney

note: For readers interested in products made by the Erhard & Söhne Company, see Swantje Köhler, Ormolu Dollhouse Accessories, Metal Toys from the Erhard & Söhne Company, 2007.

Parian-ware vase with a dancing semi-nude woman in swirling clothes and playing the double pipes; Greek Hellenistic style in high relief with accent lines painted in blue; the reverse has a palmette and scroll motif; marked Germany; 2 inches high

covered urns, metal and painted wood, 1¼ inches high

CAGES

painted tin, contains pair of love birds, 1½ inches wide

left metal cage with bird, 2 inches high

right  tin cage, base 2½ inches long, bird & newspaper added

painted metal cat guarding tin cage with yellow bird, which can be moved to peck at feeder, 1¾ inches high, German, cage base marked GES. GESCH (Gesetzlich Geschutzt meaning legally protected, patented or copyrighted)

STATUARY

1872 real painting of a parlour in Brooklyn Heights, New York, showing numerous statues, including nudes: a life-size (or larger) marble bust of a female on a pedestal, as well as complete figures --- a male bronze next to the right-hand window and a marble female on top of the bookcase; it seems remarkable how many nude or semi-nude figures were typically displayed in posh houses in an era of inhabitants being clothed in many layers from chin to toe. Note the tiers of heavily framed paintings and prints and the elaborate gas chandelier, which could be raised or lowered.

poured thin slip, marked Japan, 20th century, 3½ inches high

Venus de Milo, Greek Hellenistic style, poured thick slip, 2½ inches high; note the statue on the bookcase in the drawing below from Clarence Cook's The House Beautiful of 1877.

child and poodle, Parian, 1¼ inches high not including painted base

Karyatid holding sickle and sheaf of wheat, acts as a column shaft, Greek Hellenistic style, solid, German, 3¼ inches high

column, German, solid, 2¾ inches high

mabust marked "Napoleon", poured thick slip, German, 3 inches high

bust of man with sideburns, poured thick slip, German, 2½ inches high

bust, metal, 1½ inches high

angel, glazed, solid, 3¼ inches high

woman with muff, solid, 1½ inches high

man in blue coat embracing candleholder, glazed and overpainted china, 2 inches high

Man carrying a bird with each arm, metal, 1 inch high, origins unknown

dog in wood, possibly British, ¾ inch high

deer in wood, possibly British, base ¾ inch long

mountain goat in wood, 2½ inches high

Metal sculpture of a she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus, twin boys; inscribed "Roma", illustrating the Classical myth about the founding of Rome, base 2 inches long

OTHER

angel, metal, 1¾ inches high

Metal horse pulling a carriage, 2 inches long

binoculars, metal and possibly ivory; shows landmarks of Paris, featuring the Eiffel Tower of 1889; 1 inch high

Alarm clocks: the 2 smaller of the three above are each ½ inch in diameter; brass with glass faces over paper; real hands except centre clock (which has painted hands); copper hands, post and ring on clock on the right; working compasses on reverse of all three; displayed on "red stain", German, bow-front chest of drawers with separate swing mirror, which has a working drawer. The miniature clocks are modelled on examples from the turn of the 20th century.

left advertisement for a real alarm clock, Youth's Companion, 30 Oct. 1890

right Advertisement for real alarm clocks in 1908-1909 Nerlich catalogue of Toronto, Canada

Glass dome, 3 inches high with wax objects: flowers, pair of doves, anchor (symbolizes hope) and cross; paper inscribed in German "In Memoriam"

china basket with Art Nouveau flowers in relief, 2 inches high

china basket with flowers and a bird, 2 inches high

woven basket with dried rose buds, 3 inches high

treen flowers in pot, German, upper: 1 inch high; lower: 1¼ inches high

TO CONTINUE THE GALLERY OF IMAGES, PLEASE CLICK HERE (on the porch and in the yard)

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