Miniature German Kitchen
c. 1870
19th Century
24 1/2 in. x 39 in. x 22 1/2 in.
Unidentified,
Object Type:
Toy
Medium and Support:
wood
Credit Line:
Florence Griswold Museum; Gift of Mrs. Woodward H. Griswold
Accession Number:
1968.412.a-c
A miniature German kitchen with no ceiling or front wall. It has two windows with removable valence-type curtains, green walls, brown floor, and trim. It has three wooden shelves lining the upper portion of each wall. they are meant to display a variety of copper and brassware.
Miniature kitchens were popular from the 17th century and started out as educational toys for young girls so that they could learn how to properly outfit a kitchen.
This kitchen was originally owned by a man from Deep River, Connecticut who had it as a child in Germany.
Doll houses and room displays were first made in Germany in the mid-16th century. Initially created as a setting for adult collections of miniatures, their purpose became more educational in the 19th century, serving to introduce children to domestic roles. By the late 1880s, large woode displays like this were replaced by less expensive tin-plate models.