With the passage of time, dolls’ houses have evolved in appearance, theme and design. Nowadays, they are stylish and come in many different shapes and forms from different time periods. However, records show that long before a dolls’ house was known as a dolls’ house, magical miniature replicas were already being created – that of homes as well as the surroundings - people, birds, animals and various household objects like furniture.

One of the earliest representations of these miniatures is a lovely representation of the garden of Meket-Re from a very old Egyptian tomb (of around 2000 B.C.). Seven sycamore trees are found in this landscape, surrounding a garden pond. Overlooking it is the porch of an ancient Egyptian house - with lotus & papyrus columns that support the roof. The pond, made of copper, can amazingly be filled with water. Other miniatures located in the same tomb comprise a brewery, a carpenter’s shop, a bakery and a weaver’s shop. All of these have little figures - consistent with the scenes.

On other hand, doll miniatures are said to date back a thousand years in Japan. They are interwoven with the country’s history, specifically the annual Girls Dolls’ Festival when the households showcase their dolls often draped with red cloth. The displays comprise miniatures of utensils offered to the dolls, as Japanese parents pray for the safety of their babies and the well-being of their daughters.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 8:48 am and is filed under Dolls Houses. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.