Miniature French Dollhouse Shops: the Epicerie

If you've read my blog for awhile, you'll know that I have a thing for antique miniature dollhouse shops, particularly the little toy grocery stores that were made in Germany for many years. Here's something a little different: three miniature dollhouse stores that were made in France, circa the 1900s - early 1930s. This type of store was called an epicerie, the French term for a grocery store or delicatessen, and the style was very different from the German, being more of a flat counter than a three dimensional room box.

Along with the small German shop in the foreground, they all came from the collection of a woman whose mother had been the display designer for the toy department windows at the legendary John Wanamaker store in Philadelphia in the 1920s and 30s. These all featured in store window displays over the years, and later became playthings of the designer's family. They were lovingly cared for, and amazingly still retain most of their original items.

Let's go shopping! We'll start with my favorite, the art nouveau styled shop, which measures 19 inches tall and dates circa the early 1900s. It features lovely stenciled designs, a faux wood grained paper covered base, and loads of original accessories including plaster breads and cheeses, glass bottles, tin utensils, and wooden packages of fondant, biscuits, and other delicacies.

Tiny tin pans and scoops hang from a shelf.

Look at the detail on the original shelf paper trim, and the label on the little can!

These delicate glass bottles, incredibly, survived nearly 100 years of display and play.

The shop came complete with a little dustpan and brush for cleaning up the day's crumbs.

This beautiful store was the perfect destination for a French dolly who wanted some cheese and crackers, and maybe a little wine to go with them.

For a dolly that wanted to do some baking, this next shop might have been a better choice, as it features loads of tiny drawers that originally would have been filled with loose dry goods like sugar and flour for a child to scoop and  measure out. This one dates circa the 1920s.

This little chocolate box has an illustration of French comic character Tintin on the side. 

This store came with beautiful glazed porcelain dishes holding plaster foods. They display nicely on the long counter that runs the width of the shop.

The last epicerie is very unusual, circa the early 1930s, and I thought it was actually homemade due to the handlettering on the drawers and the poorer quality of the painting. I've since seen another just like it but without the lithographed papers on the interior. My guess is it was made at home from a kit or plans in a magazine, which was a bit of a trend for dollhouses of this time period. The lithographed papers are what make this one special. They feature beautiful illustrations of much earlier times, showing Victorian era shoppers at their own grocery stores.

This shop appears to be the one the children of the window designer played with the most, as it came with added products from the 1940s and 50s.

The likely more original packages include a little can of tinned crab meat, triangular cheese boxes, and a plum pudding.

That's the end of our epicerie tour. I'll post the little German shop separately. Now I'm off to do my real life grocery shopping, which isn't nearly as fun as this was!

Antique Board Games

Not much time to post lately....life is so hectic! Here's a quick pic of some of my antique board games, all waiting patiently for me to find time to play them.

Chein Tin Toy Ferris Wheel

The outdoor antique show season has finally begun in our northerly part of the world. At the first show on our annual agenda, we found this great old tin toy ferris wheel, 16 inches tall, still in working order. When the key is wound, the wheel spins and the bell rings repeatedly (and loudly.)

Made of lithographed tin by the J. Chein Company of New Jersey in the 1930s, this ferris wheel became one of the long-lived firm's most classic and collectible toys. Its design evolved over several decades, with different images on the base, including a version with Disney characters made in the 1950s.

This earliest example has wonderful illustrations of a carnival sideshow on the end panels, and Orangeade and hot dog vendors on the front and back.

Note the Orangeade in its iconic globe dispenser.

The sideshow talker has a somewhat sinister air.

The smiling face in the wheel's center bears the name "Hercules," and this toy is sometimes referred to as the Hercules Ferris Wheel.

It is often found with the mechanism and bell missing, which is unsurprising after hearing how loud it is in operation. I imagine a lot of exasperated parents yanked the bell off after a few days of its ceaseless racket. If you find one in working order, you've found a treasure.

More of Schuco's Miniature Teddy Bears: The Compact Bear

The 1920s were a colorful decade, filled with flappers and their extravagant clothes, stylish hairdos, and exciting evenings of dancing, boozing, and general partying.

The Schuco toy company of Germany created a line of miniature and novelty teddy bears that mirrored these social trends and are now highly sought. These bears were dyed in unusually bright colors, small enough to tuck into a little beaded handbag, and sometimes had hidden novelty features including flasks and compacts. They were charming accessories for flappers of the period to use when touching up their makeup, freshening their perfume, or topping off their alcohol buzz.

Considering that they usually held lipstick, powder, and liquids like perfume or gin, these novelty bears are rarely found today, and when discovered are usually in poor condition. They're fabulous nonetheless.

Above is Schuco's famous compact bear (the pink bear on the left) along with her lavender companion. Both are about 3.5 inches tall. The pink bear has a secret: when her head is removed her torso can be gently opened to reveal a tiny compact inside, complete with lipstick tube, mirror, powder, and puff. This one still has powder after all these years.

The lavender bear is a lovely shade and still in good condition. Schuco made these bears in a variety of jewel toned colors including red, emerald green, and purple, and they are scarce and highly collectible today.

More Schuco Miniature Bears: the Perfume Bottle Bear

Another of Schuco's novelty bears from the 1920s, the Perfume Bottle Bear is a bear with a secret. When the head of the 5 inch ted is removed, a little glass flask is revealed, perfect for an evening's supply of perfume. Schuco also made a slightly larger bear (and a monkey) with a flask inside, intended for liquor.