A fine early Victorian doll’s house with traditional furnishings is to be sold by Chorley’s on Thursday, November 28, and will be the centre stage in a collection of late 19th/early 20th century toys, dolls and games.
The owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, has owned the doll’s house since the early 1970s, and a lifetime of collecting has created the outstanding selection of toys and dolls in the sale. It includes many rare items such as an intriguing Schoenhut circus, a French papier mâche Punch and Judy, rare bisque and other French, German and English dolls, early tin plate toys including a working model of Bleriot’s plane with original cardboard propeller and sets of miniature figures, possibly by Hyde.
The doll’s house has an entrance hall with kitchen and laundry on the ground floor, the first floor boasts two exceptionally well-furnished reception rooms with two equally well laid-out bedrooms on the second floor and attic rooms are furnished in a style that would have been acceptable in the 1850s.
The house was made in 1850 by Mr and Mrs Newton of Liverpool for their daughter Emma when she was 6 years old. Mr Newton, a lawyer, was a keen amateur carpenter and it was he who designed and made most of the furniture and the house itself. Mrs Newton, meanwhile, made all the furnishings and the bedclothes.
The dolls, china, utensils and some of the more elaborate furniture were ‘mass’ produced in Switzerland and Germany and at that time were added to the house during the family holidays abroad.
The doll’s house moved to Askham Richard, Yorkshire, when Emma Newton married the Rev. Usher Miles and was much loved and played with by their five daughters. On the death of her husband in 1912, Mrs Miles moved to Cheltenham where the doll’s house remained until her death in 1931, when a home was found for it with her second son, Dr William Miles at Bewdley, Worcestershire. When he in turn died in 1953, the doll’s house came to Gloucester and was in the possession of his eldest daughter, Mrs Pauline Taylor until 1972, when it passed to the present owner.
The owner wishes the doll’s house and contents to remain as one and not split up so Chorley’s are offering the lot as a whole for sale by informal tender against an asking price of between £10,000-15,000, with all bids to be submitted by 3pm on Thursday, November 28, 2013.
Almost all the toy collection is in original condition, but the many boxes of children’s playthings, housed by this collector for over half a century, would have been played with by children over the previous 100 years.
-------------
Viewing Days:
Tuesday, November 26, 9am-5pm
Wednesday, November 27, 9am-5pm
Thursday, November 28, 8.30am-10.30am
Chorley’s auction house is located at:
Prinknash Abbey Park
Near Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL4 8EU
For further details regarding the sale contact Catrin Hampton on: 01452 344499
or email: ech@simonchorley.com
or view the fully illustrated online catalogue from early November at: www.simonchorley.com
