More showpiece than toy

Our museum collection also includes doll’s houses from the period around the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. The valuable rarities delight through their originality, imaginativeness, beauty, and fascinating attention to detail.

The history of doll’s houses extends back to the 16th century. In 1557, Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria ordered a miniature copy of a royal residence. Wealthy patrician families adopted the idea in the 17th and 18th centuries and had copies made of their houses. These sumptuous individual pieces were miniature works of art. They were not intended to be used for play, but to demonstrate the owner’s prestige and standing. Series production of doll’s houses began in the second half of the 19th century. Parents now began to use doll’s houses to prepare their children for their role in society.