Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood 所蔵のニュールンベルグ・ハウス





http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/collections/dolls_houses/...

This house was made in Nuremberg in 1673 - the date is written on the chimney. It is the oldest house in the Museum and is very similar to (though much smaller than) the houses in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, Germany.

The house was owned by wealthy people who could afford to commission specialist craftsmen to make miniatures of the full-sized versions that they normally made. Toy-making guilds did not exist at that time, so several guilds of specialist craftsmen would have been involved in making and furnishing the houses. The house served an important role, according to historical records of the time, as visual aids for the young girls in the household in learning domestic skills.

There are several clues about the family who would have owned a house like this. In those days a sign or picture would indicate what services a business offered. In this case there is a unicorn on the left door (which unfortunately has lost one of its horns), meaning that the house belonged to an apothecary or chemist. The family was clearly interested in religion as on the right door there is a picture of the important religious figure, Martin Luther (1483-1546), and there are some prayer books in the bedroom. The house itself is comfortable, with a well-equipped 'best' kitchen downstairs on the left which was used to entertain guests.

Many of the houses had stairs on their roofs, but of those which had, most have lost them. The stairs were banned from real buildings because of the danger of being swept away in high winds, injuring passers-by. Some of the features the real and miniature houses have in common are surprising. For example, people of that time were keen on bathing and had toilets known as privies. The privy was usually under the stairs and was emptied at night by specially-employed men. As they only did their washing three or four times a year, they had to have large stores of spare linen which were kept folded in a cupboard. In the larger houses the servants, including the nursery maid, were crammed into the basement alongside the animals and stores. Upstairs there would be a lying-in room where the new mother would show off her baby to guests. As this room was open to visitors, it was always one of the most elegant in appearance.