Dollhouses from the V&A Museum of Childhood

Dollhouses

from the V&A Museum of Childhood

Paperback

Price: $24.95

  • Publication Date: November 4, 2014
  • Imprint: V & A Publishing
  • Trim Size: 8 12 x 8 12
  • ISBN: 9781851778195
  • Page Count: 144
  • Illustrations: 160 color illustrations
  • Rights: North America

The dollhouse is both subversive and seductive. Dollhouses provide a microcosmic view of the world and preserve vanished aspects of daily life and culture. But they also present an idealized version of life, sometimes airbrushing out the more basic and functional elements of everyday living. This new volume uses the dollhouse’s contradictions to explore interior design, new technology, professions, and family relationships, con­sidering such topics as the role of the domestic servant and the gendering of spaces and household roles. The V&A Museum of Childhood’s collection of dollhouses, representing homes and ways of living spanning three and a half centuries, provides the backdrop for these tales. For collectors and casual fans alike, the tiny rooms of dollhouses hold many stories.

About the author

Halina Pasierbska, former curator of the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, has researched the history of the dollhouse and its furnishings for a number of years.