JULIA’S DOLL HOUSE
Julia’s Doll House presents a private collection of porcelain dolls. It was created on the ground floor of a family house located in a beautiful and quiet environment in the Lower Town of Pápa.
The name derives from the name of the collector herself.
The grand opening of Julia’s Doll House took place on 19.04.2022 and it welcomes visitors from 26.04.2022 during opening hours.
I have loved dolls since I was a child. I am from Transylvania, I got married in Hungary in 1982 and I brought almost 50 dolls with me. These are not made of porcelain of course but they are all very dear to me.
I got the oldest doll when I was two and a half years old and then the collection was enriched during every famous occasion and holiday. I took great care of my dolls therefore they remained in such condition that they could become part of the exhibition.
I bought a small sitting porcelain doll, Josephin with a wonderful little wicker chair and she successfully “infected” me with the love for porcelain dolls. Since then, I have been constantly looking for beautiful and nice dolls. The stock grew constantly so my husband and I thought that this wonderful world of dolls should be shown to those living in our neighborhood and to visitors coming to our city. Therefore, we created the Julia’s Doll House Association which presents and organizes the exhibition material.
Its history and development
Excavations and research claim that dolls were made as early as 4,000 years ago. Wood, clay, wax and bone dolls from Greece remained to the posterity.
The toy industry began to thrive in Nürnberg in the 15th century. The history of porcelain dolls dates back to the 16th and 17th century. In the 19th century, the so-called “French dolls” appeared, which were made in Paris and Nürnberg. At the beginning, the dolls were modeled on adult women and then dolls with the face of little girls gradually appeared.
The porcelain doll is a fragile, sensitive and beautiful toy made of porcelain. Making them is a long process starting with shaping followed by drying, firing and painting. Making them is art, therefore their prices can vary greatly. Prices can also be affected by the condition of the dolls and how rare they are. Porcelain dolls can be found as decorative elements or as in a collection.
Most of the dolls between the 1680s and 1990s were almost certainly made as children’s toys. Many were designed for a certain age group.
In the 17th and 18th century, wonderfully furnished doll houses were made which weren’t used for playing but for decorating the house. The so-called “Sunday dolls” appeared with which their little owners could play for 1-2 hours under adult supervision. The dolls always wore elegant outfit.
OPENING HOURS
