Let’s Take a Stroll

September 9, 2014

Everyone loves a fabulous garden, even dolls! In the early 1900s, McLoughlin Brothers, Inc. produced the New Folding Dollhouse. Two stories tall and able to be constructed in a minute, the dollhouse’s special feature was its façade, which folded down to reveal an ornamental garden for the dollhouse occupants.

Like other manufacturers such as Bliss, the McLoughlin Brothers used chromolithography to produce their brightly colored cardboard dollhouses. With its color printed windows, bricks, and columns, this dollhouse serves as a time capsule of the decorative and architectural style of the late Victorian period. Bright colors, ornate decorations, and curtain-lined windows surround opulent rugs, cushioned window seats, and beautiful fireplaces. The house is sumptuous and pleasantly cluttered, two hallmarks of turn-of-the-century decorating. Try your hand at making your own tiny folding dollhouse with this template!