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!
Thank you Sherri for showing us your wee doll house and the history behind it. It is just adorable,♥
ReplyDeleteThank you Judy!
DeleteThis is a very fine little doll house. So colorful and well done. I have seen pieces of furniture like this, but until you pointed out who made them, I didn't know anything about them. Everything is pretty and placed just right. A real treasure for sure.
ReplyDeleteThank you Martha! I see this furniture on E-bay and the prices have gone through the roof, as it has gotten so collectible. I often see it advertised incorrectly or they say the initials are the person who painted it, hopefully these post will correct some of that misinformation.
DeleteThanks and I'm glad you enjoyed the post. The hubs is doing so well (he had a couple setbacks). He works in his wood shop every day, doing some projects he's been wanting to do for some time. I have all the 1/10 scale Dora Kuhn furniture for another dollhouse and hope this fall he can make a special dollhouse for me!
ReplyDeleteHi, I just found your site. Believe it or not, I was researching on the web because I have been looking for a "Dora Kuhn" dollhouse to buy for several years now! (A childhood one was forever lost due to some unfortunate circumstances). I had the FAO Schwarz Dora Kuhn dollhouse which seems a bit larger than the miniature house you have but yours has such interesting details, especially on the 2nd floor. I would be delighted w/ either model if anyone knows of one for sale! I have some Keystone dollhouses but my heritage is Swedish & German so the Dora Kuhn cottage & lovely painted furniture feels like home! Also, my married last name is.......Kuhn!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog on both the furniture Dora Kuhn houses! Sincerely, Laurie
ReplyDeleteLaurie, I'm glad you've enjoyed the posts and thank you for your kind comment. I hope you find a dollhouse, perhaps just like the one you had. My best advice is to watch for one on E-bay. I see the furniture all the time and on occasion I see a dollhouse. Dora Kuhn has gotten very collectible so you'll find the prices are high. For pictures of Kuhn visit Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/login/ Lots of eye candy there. I wonder, are you related to the Kuhn's in your heritage?!
DeleteHi Sherri, it is very fortuitous for me that you have posted your last two blogs when you did because I just bought a very similar Dora Kuhn, with original furniture, a few weeks ago and I've found a lot out about it through your blog so thank you! I had desperately wanted a Dora Kuhn chalet for about two years but it was prohibitively expensive to buy one and ship it to the UK and then I found one in a shop in York - a city near me in the UK. This is a link (if it works) to photos of my house which I posted on the web site 'Dolls' Houses Past and Present': http://www.dollshousespastandpresent.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=15996103 I have emailed Sigi to see if she can help me date it precisely but I'm sure it is of a similar date to yours. I would gave said mine is 1:16 scale (or three quarter scale as I believe you call it in the US). There is access to the attic room which has miniature Dora Kuhn furniture in it. Also, the roof and attic come off completely. Though you might be interested and thank you again for sharing your excellent blogs - I adore your house and how you've furnished it!
ReplyDeleteSo glad the posts have helped you learn about your dollhouse. I popped over to see your peasant house.....wow, it's gorgeous!! Looks very similar to mine with a different top piece. I will leave a comment when I'm approved. If anyone will know about it, it's Sigi. She's the expert in Germany, and a lovely lady. Sherri
ReplyDeleteWhat child would not like to play with such a fun filled house? And even to have Cappy protecting everything! There is so much detail. I never had a doll house but did enjoy my Barbies and "fixing" up an area to pretend it was her house. All the photos are great and glad the miniature rooster of your Mother's found a home to live in.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, Sherri. I am fascinated by all that detail.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it Jan!!
DeleteYou seem like a doll house kind of girl, caring for all the little things that make a house a home. I have so enjoyed this little series, and have learned so much.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've enjoyed learning about Dora Kuhn. It's very unique and I think you love it or just find it rather too much! Of course, I love that it's hand made and painted in such detail and the history is so interesting to me. Not your regular run of the mill dollhouse!
DeleteI’m helping my cousin move her mother out of her house and came across so many pieces of this furniture along with the doll house from 1960ish. They were in Germany and her father bought it for her. Any clue on an overall value?
ReplyDeleteSue Ellis
ReplyDeleteSue, That would depend on the number of pieces and condition. I look for Dora Kuhn on E-bay, Ruby Lane, Mercari, Poshmark and Etsy. Those would be good places to see the current prices. Hope that's helpful.
ReplyDelete