Thursday, August 27, 2020

Aunt Barbara's dollhouse

 This is an extension of sorts to the last post (as will be the next two posts).  As I mentioned, two of my great-aunts love/loved dolls, with Aunt Barbara being the enthusiast and Aunt Kathryn being the maker.  Today's story is the story of an old dollhouse.  Aunt Barbara was the baby of my grandmother's family, while Aunt Kathryn was...either the eldest or second-eldest girl, so there was quite an age gap there.  Anyway, when she was about eight Barbara had to have some teeth pulled, and she felt cruddy afterwards so Kathryn dragged her to a store and bought her a dollhouse with some furniture.  LOL, sounds like my dad.  We'd be groggy from anesthesia, but he'd take us out for ice cream or for a toy anyway for being brave.  "No one likes having their teeth monkeyed with," he'd always say, which was (and still is) very true!  Anyway, Aunt Kathryn bought Aunt Barbara a dollhouse and some furniture, and Aunt Barbara gave me permission to share the pictures here.  The house is a two-story colonial style house with blue siding, white trim, and darker blue shutters.  The door opens.

Here's the interior, with the aforementioned furniture and one little resident.  There's a little bit of everything in there, from a kitchen to a bathroom area, plus two bedrooms with three beds.
I love how there's a Christmas tree thrown in there, and I love the piano too.  Both Aunt Kathryn and Aunt Barbara were/are accomplished pianists; indeed, one of my earliest memories is sitting beside Aunt Barbara at Aunt Kathryn's piano.  She was playing "Jesus Loves Me" and we were singing together.  So I love that little touch.  The duck, visible in the laundry room/kitchen area, makes me giggle a little, as it reminds me of a childhood book I had called But You're a Duck!  An older lady in New York City had a duck as a pet, and then this busybody little neighbor girl decided to teach him to be a "real duck."  It was a cute story.  Anyway, I love this dollhouse, and I love the sentiment behind it.  Very typical of Aunt Kathryn; one minute she'd tell you to stand up straight and get your hair out of your eyes, and the next minute she'd be rocking you and telling you a story or giving you some nice little gift.  She was an interesting woman.

Maybe some day I'll share a dollhouse of my own!  I adore dollhouses, and I've always nursed a fondness for those kits at Hobby Lobby.  But for now, I hope y'all enjoy Aunt Barbara's dollhouse as much as I do.

Happiness and love to all,
RagingMoon1987

2 comments:

  1. What a pretty house RM, very Georgian, I love doll houses too, but I don't own a single one, just don't have the room :(
    Big hugs,
    X

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    1. I hear you about the room! I actually do have a dollhouse, but I have no place to put it so it sits in my spare bedroom gathering dust.

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