Small Stories: At Home in a Dollhouse at National Building Museum, through January 22, 2017

“The National Building Museum is the only U.S. venue for Small Stories: At Home in a Dollhouse, which features a stunning selection of 12 historical dollhouses spanning the past 300 years from the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood in London. As a contemporary update, the exhibition also showcases the artistic interpretations of a dollhouse by a group of 24 diverse American architects, designers, and artists. This “Dream House” installation of miniature interiors will bring the long history of the dollhouse full circle to the present day.

Small Stories explores the history of British domestic life and provides a miniature-sized, up-close view of developments in architecture and design, from a Georgian town house and suburban mansion, to a 1960s high-rise and a Le Corbusier-style white villa. Displayed chronologically, most of the houses come complete with period furniture and interior fittings. Each house is displayed to reflect a particular moment in history.” — National Building Museum

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Joy Wardrobe. Edmund Joy, England, 1712 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Joy Wardrobe. Edmund Joy, England, 1712 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:W.9-1930

Tate Baby House. England, 1760 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:W.9-1930

Tate Baby House. England, 1760 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:W.9-1930

Tate Baby House. England, 1760 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:W.1-1954

Henriques House. England, 1750-1800 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:W.15-1936

Killer Cabinet Dolls’ House. England, 1835-1838 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:W.15-1936

Killer Cabinet Dolls’ House. England, 1835-1838 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:W.15-1936

Killer Cabinet Dolls’ House. England, 1835-1838 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:W.146-1921

Amy Miles’ House. England, 1890 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Amy Miles’ House. England, 1890 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Box Back Terrace House. England, 1890-1910 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:MISC.14-1988

Betty Pinney’s House (set in 1910s). England, 1870 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:MISC.14-1988

Betty Pinney’s House (set in 1910s). England, 1870 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

CIS:MISC.14-1988

Betty Pinney’s House (set in 1910s). England, 1870 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

B.88:1-2011 Dolls' house Dolls house in 4 parts Mr Ken Barrington-Smith, probably designed by Lines Bros. Architect Barrington-Smith; Mr Ken Barrington-Smith, probably designed by Lines' Bros. architect, Ken Barrington Smith, based in part, on the Mayflower dolls house series he made for Lines Bros. Ltd. Probably made in the Lines Bros. Ltd factory in Merton Merton; Probably made at the former Lines Bros. Ltd factory in Merton. Merton 193-1936; 1933-36 Painted wood and printed paper; painted wood; wooden and painted

Peggy Lines’ Dolls’ House. England, 1933-1936 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

B.88:1-2011 Dolls' house Dolls house in 4 parts Mr Ken Barrington-Smith, probably designed by Lines Bros. Architect Barrington-Smith; Mr Ken Barrington-Smith, probably designed by Lines' Bros. architect, Ken Barrington Smith, based in part, on the Mayflower dolls house series he made for Lines Bros. Ltd. Probably made in the Lines Bros. Ltd factory in Merton Merton; Probably made at the former Lines Bros. Ltd factory in Merton. Merton 193-1936; 1933-36 Painted wood and printed paper; painted wood; wooden and painted

Peggy Lines’ Dolls’ House. England, 1933-1936 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

W.3-1937 Dolls' house Whiteladies House; Whiteladies dolls' house made in England in 1935 Moray Thomas; William Purse; Claude Flight (1881-1955), Claude Flight painted some of the murals in the house; Patrick F RBA Millard (1902-1977), P F Millard painted the mural over the fireplace in the living room. England 1935 Moulded and painted wood

Whiteladies House. Moray Thomas, England, 1935 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

B.8-2007 Dolls' house Dolls' house in the style of the 1940s made in England by Roma Hopkinson in the late 1980s to late 1990s. Roma Hopkinson (1931-) England Late 1980s to late 1990s Painted wood

Hopkinson House (set in 1940s). England, 1980s-1990s © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

B.8-2007 Dolls' house Dolls' house in the style of the 1940s made in England by Roma Hopkinson in the late 1980s to late 1990s. Roma Hopkinson (1931-) England Late 1980s to late 1990s Painted wood

Hopkinson House (set in 1940s). England, 1980s-1990s © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

B.8-2007 Dolls' house Dolls' house in the style of the 1940s made in England by Roma Hopkinson in the late 1980s to late 1990s. Roma Hopkinson (1931-) England Late 1980s to late 1990s Painted wood

Hopkinson House (set in 1940s). England, 1980s-1990s © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

B.360-2013

Jennys Home. Tri-ang, Northern Ireland, 1960s © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

B.360-2013

Jennys Home. Tri-ang, Northern Ireland, 1960s © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

B.360-2013

Jennys Home. Tri-ang, Northern Ireland, 1960s © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

B.360-2013

Jennys Home. Tri-ang, Northern Ireland, 1960s © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

B.360-2013

Jennys Home. Tri-ang, Northern Ireland, 1960s © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Kaleidoscope House. Laurie Simmons, Peter Wheelwright and Bozart, USA, 2001 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Kaleidoscope House. Laurie Simmons, Peter Wheelwright and Bozart, USA, 2001 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

kaleidoscope-2001-kitchen

Kaleidoscope House. Laurie Simmons, Peter Wheelwright and Bozart, USA, 2001 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

“This exhibition gives us a rare opportunity to examine the history of British architecture and design from an entirely unexpected perspective,” says Chase W. Rynd, executive director of the National Building Museum. “These treasured dollhouses surprisingly allow us to look with a fresh set of eyes at the evolution of design trends as well as the impact our homes continue to have on the way we live and express ourselves.”

Images courtesy National Building Museum.