Queen Victoria-Inspired Dollhouses Part I
When we began our journey of recreating Queen Victoria-inspired wooden dolls, we realized we needed to find a proper way to display them when we travelled to doll shows. What better way, we mused, than to recreate a scaled down version of the young Princess’s famous dollhouse which currently resides and is on permanent display at Kensington Palace.
Black and white photo of Queen Victoria’s Dollhouse, circa 1825-35
Since many of our customers wanted to create their own version of a Victoria-inspired house, we created some of the basic elements necessary for them to build it and now offer them on our website.
What resulted is a beautiful tapestry of creativity with dollhouses ranging from the simple two-room English townhouse style to a larger recreation with cabinet bases, front porches, hinged doors, and architectural finnials.
To begin this series, we feature the stately creation of a Queen Victoria-inspired dollhouse furnished and decorated by Chris Klemm and built by her husband, Marty.
Front of Victoria Inspired Dollhouse created by Chris Klemm and her husband, Marty.
The two-room house measures 29 inches tall, 13 inches deep and 23 inches wide, and sits on a cabinet base.
Chris built a larger, more stately home to house her growing collection of Queen Victoria inspired grodnertals and decided to give it a more regal façade.
The single brick-faced front panel swings open and closes to reveal five Palladian windows, a front porch with railing, a mahogany stained door with a fanlight window over it, dental molding trim at the top and architectural finials to complete the look. The house is reminiscent of 18th-century Victorian baby houses which were designed as architectural replicas of their owners’ houses.
Many of the front façade architectural inserts were ordered from England where they are readily available.
Kitchen has added wood ceiling beams and the floor is sanded, stained and shellacked.
The kitchen on the lower level features as a centerpiece an antique wooden mantle with a cast iron insert coal box that Chris purchased years before from the Mary Merritt Museum auction.
The entire house is furnished and decorated by a combination of artisan, antique and vintage pieces. Chris even took a one-week class at the Chicago miniature show to learn to electrify the house.
Mrs. Martha busily finishes a meal while Monsieur Musard sneaks a peek. And he hopes, a taste.
In the upstairs parlor, Lady Arnold and Sir William Arnold entertain esteemed ballerinas Marie Taglioni as a Fairy, and child dancer Leontine Heberlé who presently holds the Royal babies.
The upstairs parlor with visitors. Don’t miss that tiny miniature Staffordshire dog.
The Countess of Rothesay’s twin Royal babies are getting a special photo-op with renown ballerina, Leontine Heberlé.
The project took Chris almost two years to complete. She began just before Covid complicated all our lives and left supply chain issues, classes to be rescheduled, and lengthy shipping waits in its wake. But as she tells it, it was a joyful project to be immersed in as well an excellent escape. And, as evidenced from the outstanding results, in spite of all the obstacles, it eventually resulted in her creative vision being fulfilled.
It is a joy for us to see the kaleidoscope of different visions that our customers have when they create their vision of the young Princess’ dollhouse, and we are always so grateful when they share their finished project with us.
Thank you, Chris Klemm, for sharing your beautiful creation with all of us.
A special seat next to the fire awaits the next doll in the series which will be released in the summer of 2023.
