Dolls' houses and miniatures

In the 17th century, dolls’ houses were highly prized and hand-crafted objects made for very wealthy adults. Some houses were also used as learning aids to show girls how to run a household. By the nineteenth century both hand made and manufactured examples had become popular as children’s toys.

Today we can learn a lot about how people used to live by looking into these miniature worlds. The Museum holds a collection of around 100 dolls’ houses, models and shops. The earliest is the Nuremberg house of 1673, and 21st century examples include the Kaleidoscope house. Some of the houses such as the Tate Baby house are the most famous and best loved objects in the museum.