Tate Baby House

Unknown ca. 1760 (made) - 1764

The Victoria and Albert Museum
London, United Kingdom

A fully furnished dolls ' house made in England about 1760

Details

Title: Tate Baby House
Date Created: ca. 1760 (made) - 1764
Location Created: England
Type: Doll's house
External Link: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O98816
production: Unknown
More Information: Little is known about the lady who last owned this house. Her name was Mrs Walter Tate and the house is named after her. It was made in Dorset and is said to have been modelled on an 18th century Dorset house. It is a complex structure which comes apart in several sections so that the owner, usually a lady, could take it on her travels. In those days people often went away for quite long periods of time. Coach travel took up a lot of time and journeys involved careful planning, therefore visits were often long. The baby house was the pride and joy of the mistress of the house, who would often take hers with her. She would take great pleasure in choosing wallpapers and furniture for it. The furniture is not contemporary with the house which was updated in 1830 and at regular intervals afterwards by its owners. In an 18th century house the furniture would have been arranged in a more formal fashion around the walls of the rooms. The windows have lost their glazing bars which would have given them an authentic twelve pane look instead of the two panes that were popular in the 19th century. A painted window on the side of the house shows what the windows should look like. Children would have been allowed to play with the house from time to time under supervision. Guests would frequently take small presents such as little silver kettles or salt containers for the baby house as a token of thanks for their hostess's hospitality.
Materials and Techniques: Wood and mixed media
Dimensions: Height: 7.2 ft, Width: 4.10 ft, Depth: 3.6 ft

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