Antique Dollhouse and Miniature Bear

Recently, I posted about my first antique American lithographed wooden dollhouse. Last weekend, I was thrilled to acquire another one at an outdoor antique show, along with a miniature Steiff bear who is just the right size to live inside.

Here is the new house (on the right) with its predecessor:

They were both made by the same unknown company in the very early 1900s, and feature fronts that swing open to reveal two simple rooms papered with their original oversized wall coverings. These houses are sometimes referred to as "Gutter Houses" by dollhouse collectors because of the prominent piece of molding that runs along their roofline, resembling a gutter. They were probably made in imitation of the more expensive Bliss houses available at the same time. They originally had red-stained roofs that tend to fade badly with time; my first house has a roof that was repainted green, probably around the time of the Great Depression in the 1930s, when it may have been refurbished and gifted to a needy child. This new house is all original, and even smaller than the first, being only about 10 1/2 inches high.

Two tiny antique Steiff bears have moved in to the first floor, where they are presently having tea.

Odd English Teddy Bear

Purchased at an antique show this past weekend was one of the oddest teddy bears I've ever found, with definitely the biggest ears I've ever seen. He measures about 16 inches tall, and I believe he is British, circa the 1930s. His face, body, and limbs are similar to bears made around that time by Peacock, but I've never seen any with ears quite like these. He almost looks like a cross between a teddy bear and an elephant! But he's cute and I love him.

Antique Photo: Boy on a Riding Bear

As an accessory to antique toy collecting, I'm always on the lookout for interesting old photos of children with toys. I found this fabulous real photo postcard at an antique show last weekend. Dating from the early 1900s, it features a little boy in a sailor suit on a Steiff riding bear. The back of the photo has a penned note with the child's name (Frank) and the comment, "Pretty curls". And indeed they are.

Antique Show Report

Found some great things at an outdoor antique show this past weekend: a miniature Steiff bear circa 1908; a very unusual British teddy from the 1930s with the biggest ears I've ever seen on a bear; an American lithographed wooden dollhouse from the early 1900s in a very petite size; a fantastic old photo of a child with a toy bear; a small doll trunk; and a doll sized glider swing. A sneak peek is shown below, with details to follow!

1950s Marx Circus Sideshow Playset

Here's another carnival-themed vintage toy that is, by today's standards, generally considered egregiously offensive. But it was phenomenally popular back in its day (the 1950s), when it allowed children the opportunity to run their own freak show!

The Marx Super Circus was a huge playset of plastic figures and tin litho structures that included a big top, ticket booth, circus performers both human and animal, and visitors. It also came with a two piece sideshow, complete with lithographed banners and a variety of plastic freaks.

My sideshow has only one  left: Chang and Eng, the famous real-life Siamese twins after whom all subsequent "siamese twins" have been named. (There's a great article about Chang and Eng, with lots of historical photographs, here.




The tin lithography on these pieces is really great and worth a closer look: