Betty Pinney's House - 1870

Betty Pinney was born in 1907. She studied art and became a wallpaper and textile designer for the Edinburgh Weavers and Sandersons. She specialised in designs for children, and original curtains of a farmyard scene, which were hung in her own children's nursery, are now in the Museums collection. We know that she also designed book covers, railway posters and illustrated books. The dolls' house was found by a friend who ran an antique shop and sold it to Betty for £5. It was made in about 1870.

Betty Pinney's House, Dolls' House, 1870. Museum no. Misc.14-1988 (click image for larger version)

Betty's daughter, Susanna, has told us that her mother decided to recreate her own childhood in miniature, but in the style of the household of a family which had worked abroad for the British Empire. This allowed her greater freedom with the furnishings. She was an accomplished seamstress and made many of the furnishings herself. Betty made all food out of Plastone and then painted it. She also broke up pieces of real coal, logs and kindling for the fires, log baskets and coal scuttles. A second-hand set of surgeon's scalpels was used for making furniture, mostly out of balsa wood and then veneered. Other items were given to her by friends or made especially for her.

The house can be seen as a portrait of life in a wealthy household from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. It has two unusual features: a roof garden and a lift, which can be operated by gently turning a handle.