Thursday 24 September 2009

Vintage Thingies 41 - Children's House Book

A week has already passed and it is time to join the Vintage Thingies Thursday hosted by Coloradolady Suzanne. Today I'm showing you something that is not mine. When visiting my mother a while ago we found one of her old books from the attic. The spine was off and one page was loose, so I took the book with me so I could ask my daughter Kaija if she could or should repair it. She is a master bookbinder and knows about these things. Anyway, the book was too delicious to be left in the bag without showing you.

This is a doll's house, without any text but originally with paper dolls, unfortunately lost during the years. The pictures are from 1921. You can click all pictures to enlarge and see more details.

This is the hall.

In the cabinet I found a child's coat and hat.


The living room. There are slots in the table cloth for cups and bowls.

The parent's bedroom. Both doors can be opened but don't go through to the next rooms. The paper dolls can be put to bed through a slot between the pillow and the sheet.



The children's room. This page is loose.



Again, a door you can open.


The bathroom picture refused to be shown the right way, so I left it out. There was a toilet and a bathroom, and on the other page a cellar with food and mice!
This is the kitchen. The oven door has come off the hinge and disappeared, but there is a copper kettle and a dotted pot on the stove. The writing on the jars is in German, so the artist was German. The book cover shows the name of the Finnish publisher but I believe the book was printed in Germany, just using a different cover text for the Finnish market.



The whole kitchen view.



And finally the back garden.

My mother is an only child, and I don't remember us having ever played with this book, so it has lasted pretty well the 87 years! I remember I have seen this book, but only looked at it nicely. Mother remembers how she played with this before she had started school in the early 1920's.
I hope you enjoyed this bit of history. Happy VTT, go and see what else is on Suzanne's link list.

21 comments:

  1. wow that is simply adorable!!

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  2. Wow! This is simply wonderful! I can imagine the wonderful hours of play your mother had with this book!

    I love the way the house looks-its a peak at home decorating!

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  3. This brings memories of when I played with paper dolls (early 60's. I have never seen a book like this before. Very interesting.
    Thanks for sharing!
    Living it up at Lakewood,
    Cindy

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  4. 87 years old doll-house book! And it's still so looking so nice & cute!

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  5. I love children's books. This is an amazing treasure and how wonderful your daughter can repair it. I have boxes full of my children's books. I also have an original set of Dr. Seuss books from the 1940s...my aunt gave it to me years ago.

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  6. That was a wonderful piece of history. How great is it that your daughter is a bookbinder and can repair it! Thanks for visiting my blog.
    Jane

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  7. What a wonderful delightful book. I love all the pages, they are so charming. I am glad you were able to bring it home, and great your daughter can repair it. I have to find someone here for that very thing with my book.

    Have a great VTT and a wonderful weekend.

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  8. What a beautiful book! How wonderful that you found this little treasure. I hope it can be restored.

    Jocelyn
    http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/

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  9. What a wonderful treasure and in such great condition!

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  10. I want to live in that house! It's so cute and cozy! I think the book should definitely be repaired. Oh, what a treasure this book is! My favorite VTT!

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  11. Loved every page from that little book. You have a truly vintage keepsake.

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  12. Those pictures are cute. They look quite modern for the 1920s. I have some of my mother's books too.

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  13. what a treasure. I have a few very old books in a cabinet safely tucked away from little hands! None are as entertaining as yours though!

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  14. What a lovely find!! I enjoyed looking at it!
    Paulette

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  15. This is amazing, and definitely lucky to have survived this long.

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  16. A wonderful book, Ulla. I enjoyed touring all the rooms and imagined myself living in each one! They're so pretty and bright. The only one I wouldn't like is the one with mice (eek!) - LOL! I'm sure your daughter can work wonders with repairing it!
    Cheers!

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  17. What a wonderful precious book. The illustrations are beautiful. I hope Kaija enjoys mending this little piece of history.

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  18. How lovely, what a shame some of the elements were lost but it is still a treasure to be cherished.

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  19. Ååå what a beautiful book, I love it and it is so special..
    Thank you for sharing Ulla!

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