A Child's Eye-View
Toy exhibition at the Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
explores adult world through the eyes of a child.
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Rumford Dollhouse:
This wonderful four-room dollhouse was
made in the early part of the nineteenth
century for twin sisters living in
Philadelphia. The house passed through
several generations of the same family
until it was given to the Folk Art
Museum. All of the furnishings are
original to the house, but span the
years of ownership by the
Morris-Canby-Rumford family.
Photo credit: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,
Williamsburg, Va. |
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"A Child’s-Eye
View,” an exhibition at The Museums of Colonial
Williamsburg, features toys from the decorative
arts and folk art collections.
The exhibition
explores how children re-create the adult world
from their own perspective through play and
toys. Now on display, dollhouses, toy trains and
other playthings bring back fond memories of
childhood. “Many of the toys featured in ‘A
Child’s-Eye View’ replicate in miniature
everyday objects found in the adult world,” said
Jan Gilliam, manager of exhibition planning and
associate curator of toys. “These toys brought
the real world down to a size that could easily
be manipulated by children. In play, children
learned useful skills but also enjoyed being in
charge of their own households, railroad yards,
villages or menageries.” |
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Exhibit designers kept their young guests in mind
when creating this display. Objects have been
installed at the viewing height of a 10-year-old
child.
Two treasured dollhouses -- the Long Island and
Rumford Dollhouses -- are featured. Found in Long
Island, N.Y., the Long Island Dollhouse was made
around 1900 and measures over 12 feet in length. Its
furnishings consist of pieces from 19th and 20th
centuries. The Rumford Dollhouse features four rooms
and was made in the early part of the 19th century
for twin sisters living in Philadelphia. The house
passed through several generations of the same
family until it was given to the folk art museum.
All of the furnishings are original to the house.
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Long Island
Dollhouse:
This impressive dollhouse was made around 1900
and measures over twelve feet in length. It was
found in Long Island, New York. The furnishings
consist of pieces from the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries.
Photo credit: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,
Williamsburg, Va. |
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Dolls have been popular toys for girls through
the centuries. In this exhibition, Gretchen was a
cherished member of the Clymer-Rumford family. She
was made in Philadelphia by the Greiner firm in the
last quarter of the 19th century. Another special
doll, made around 1790, came with an extensive
wardrobe, including everything from shift and stays
to gowns and hats. Probably made in England, the
doll is made of wood with glass eyes, painted facial
features and jointed limbs. This is the first time
this doll has been on display.
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Gretchen:
Gretchen was a cherished member of the
Clymer-Rumford family. She was made in
Philadelphia by the Greiner firm in the
last quarter of the nineteenth century.
For over a hundred years, she was passed
down in the family until she was given
to the Folk Art Museum.
Photo credit: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,
Williamsburg, Va. |
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Doll:
This doll, made around 1790, came with an
extensive wardrobe including everything from
shift and stays to gowns and hats. This is the
first time the doll has been on display.
Probably made in England, the doll is made of
wood with glass eyes, painted facial features,
and jointed limbs.
Photo credit: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,
Williamsburg, Va. |
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Trains have always captured the imagination of
children and adults alike. This wooden train
features railcars decorated with the names of rail
lines from the northeast including New York and
Philadelphia. Although there are no wheels on this
train, the painted details give it a realistic look
that would surely delight any young boy. In
addition, several electric Lionel trains from the
Carstens collection dating from the 1920s-1940s --
including the Blue Comet and the Flying Yankee –
will be on view. |
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Train: This wooden train features railcars decorated
with the names of rail lines from the northeast
including New York and Philadelphia. Although
there are no wheels on this train, the painted
details give it a realistic look that would
surely delight any young boy.
Photo credit: Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation, Williamsburg, Va. |
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“A Child’s-Eye View” is on display in the DeWitt
Wallace Decorative Arts Museum through May 2009. The Museums of Colonial Williamsburg are open to
ticketed guests 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 1- March 16,
2008, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 17-Dec. 31, 2008.
Admission is by Colonial Williamsburg admission
ticket, a separate Museums admission ticket, Annual
Museums Pass, or Good Neighbor Pass. Entered through
the Public Hospital of 1773, the Museums of Colonial
Williamsburg are located at 325 W. Francis St. For
museum program information, telephone (757)
220-7724. |
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Elephant:
This is one of a group of wooden animals
made in Pennsylvania around 1850. The
animal is hand carved and, although not
greatly detailed, has a charm that no
doubt delighted some lucky child.
Photo credit: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,
Williamsburg, Va. |
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About the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation:
Established in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation is the not-for-profit educational
institution that preserves and operates the restored
18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia as a
town-sized living history museum, telling the
inspirational stories of our nation’s founding men
and women. Within the restored and reconstructed
buildings, historic interpreters, attired as
colonial men and women from slaves to shopkeepers to
soldiers, relate stories of colonial Virginia
society and culture — stories of our journey to
become Americans – while historic tradespeople
research, demonstrate and preserve the 18th-century
world of work and industry. As Colonial Williamsburg
interprets life in the time of the American
Revolution for its guests, it also invites them to
interact with history. Williamsburg is located in
Virginia’s Tidewater region, 20 minutes from Newport
News, within an hour’s drive of Richmond and
Norfolk, and 150 miles south of Washington D.C., off
Interstate 64. For more information about Colonial
Williamsburg, call 1-800-HISTORY or visit Colonial
Williamsburg’s Web site at
www.history.org. |
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