Once again I'd like to thank Sigi Ulbrich at Tortula
for graciously sharing her expertise about Dora Kuhn
with me, so that I may pass it along to you.
Enjoy the tour of my petite house!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Dora Kuhn company made peasant dollhouses
in several styles and sizes. This little house is in
1/12 scale (1 inch to 1 foot). It has two rooms with
an upper balcony. It is sometimes referred to as
the "Black House" as it was also sold through a
company bearing that name.
It was advertised in the 1960 Dora Kuhn catalog.
Photos courtesy of Sigi Ulbrich at Tortula.
Like the furniture and room boxes, it's sturdily
hand crafted and colorfully hand painted in the
Bavarian folk art style called Bauernmalerei.
(pronounced bow-urn-maler-rye)
I love the red roof, painted rock work and
distinctive features that instantly tell you it's
Dora Kuhn. It has the green shutters
with Kuhn hearts,
that open and close.
The Kuhn's were devout Catholics.
representation of St. Florian, the patron
saint of firefighters.
The upper balcony has a non
working window and door.
My house was missing the 2 original flower
boxes on the balcony railings that can be seen
in the catalog photo. Sigi kindly sent me photos
and dimensions of the originals flower boxes, so
the hubs could make a replacement pair. She
also sent these delicate hand made German flowers,
that closely resemble the originals. Beautiful!
These large flower boxes with vintage
flowers are not original to the house.
A unique feature of this house, is the removable
front section. It's held in place with latches on
the sides. When unlatched, the front section easily
slides out of the way for access to the rooms.
The space behind the false window
and door is not accessible for play.
The kitchen has painted red furniture
and a beautiful painted border. The
curtains are the original blue micro check.
I am especially proud of the rare Dora
Kuhn plant stand, wooden tea set, beautiful
hand crocheted rugs and other decorations that
were house warming gifts from Sigi Ulbrich. My
little house has all the charm of a proper vintage
German dollhouse! Thank you Sigi!
Bodo Hennig, a German dollhouse company
made the little butter mold and coffee tin.
The rooster is from my mother's miniature
collection.
The European style oven with Bodo
Hennig copper cookware. The older
blue Kuhn cupboard was made between 1923-1927,
still colorful despite it's age.
Like most all of the hand painted cabinets, it
Even the interior is delicately painted.
The tiny dollhouse is a 1960's souvenir
Evidence of the family's devotion to their
faith is shown by the beautifully painted representation of St. Florian, the patron
saint of firefighters.
The upper balcony has a non
working window and door.
My house was missing the 2 original flower
boxes on the balcony railings that can be seen
in the catalog photo. Sigi kindly sent me photos
and dimensions of the originals flower boxes, so
the hubs could make a replacement pair. She
also sent these delicate hand made German flowers,
that closely resemble the originals. Beautiful!
These large flower boxes with vintage
flowers are not original to the house.
A unique feature of this house, is the removablefront section. It's held in place with latches on
the sides. When unlatched, the front section easily
slides out of the way for access to the rooms.
The space behind the false window
and door is not accessible for play.
The kitchen has painted red furniture
and a beautiful painted border. The
curtains are the original blue micro check.
I am especially proud of the rare Dora Kuhn plant stand, wooden tea set, beautiful
hand crocheted rugs and other decorations that
were house warming gifts from Sigi Ulbrich. My
little house has all the charm of a proper vintage
German dollhouse! Thank you Sigi!
Bodo Hennig, a German dollhouse company
made the little butter mold and coffee tin.
The rooster is from my mother's miniature
collection.
Hennig copper cookware. The older
blue Kuhn cupboard was made between 1923-1927,
still colorful despite it's age.
Like most all of the hand painted cabinets, it
has the initials JHS and MARIA on the doors.
They represent Jesus His Savior & Maria,
Mother of Jesus, more evidence of the Kuhn's
devotion to their faith.
At some point during it's long life, a child
has decorated the inside with pencil markings!
The tiny gingerbread molds
are also Bodo Hennig.
Every dollhouse should have little
children and a family pet. Of course,
this dog is named Cappy.
The bedroom has a matching painted border,
blue painted furniture and the original red
and white micro check fabric for the curtains
and bedding.
The wardrobe is especially beautiful
and also has the initials JHS and MARIA.
While the children sleep, they
are protected by a sweet little angel.
This house is truly blessed!
The tiny dollhouse is a 1960's souvenir
photo viewer with beautiful pictures
of famous places in Germany.
Big Sister takes good care
of her baby brother. 
When the sun is shining, you'll find the
children on the balcony, enjoying the outdoors.
Earlier this spring the girls planted bulbs in
the new flower boxes and waited patiently for
them to bloom........
The pet tortoise gets some fresh
water and lettuce to nibble on.
Cappy stands guard in case
the bunny escapes!
A sweet petite happy home!
In America, the Dora Kuhn company sold
dollhouses, furniture and accessories
exclusively through the New York toy company,
FAO Schwarz. This peasant style dollhouse is
from the 1979 catalog.
the new flower boxes and waited patiently for
them to bloom........
What a delight to see the vivid colors
and smell the sweet scents.
The pet tortoise gets some fresh
water and lettuce to nibble on.
the bunny escapes!
A sweet petite happy home!
In America, the Dora Kuhn company sold
dollhouses, furniture and accessories
exclusively through the New York toy company,
FAO Schwarz. This peasant style dollhouse is
from the 1979 catalog.
The children that live in this house are vintagehard plastic Edi dolls. They have adorable faces
and lovely German costumes. The couple on the
left are dressed in traditional Black Forest clothing,
the pair on the right have traditional Bavarian clothing.
I think they add authenticity and a special charm to
the dollhouse, and they're durable enough for play.
If your are a collector of Edi dolls or
wish to learn more about these wonderful
dolls, be sure to stop by Sigi Ulbrich's site
Tortula. She publishes a comprehensive online Edi Doll Compendium magazine, full
of beautiful photos and information.
Visit these prior posts.
&
Learn more about St. Florian here: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like many Americans I have a rich diverse
heritage. In my case it's Irish, Scotch and German.
My great-great Grand parents immigrated to America
from Westphalia Prussia (north western Germany)
in 1849. Perhaps that is why I love sauerkraut,
dachshunds and Dora Kuhn!