Collection
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Decorative Arts and Design

Dollhouse

Gerrit Th. Rietveld; Jacobus (Koos) van Vliet; Piet van Gelder

1 of 75

Object Label

Like many toys, doll’s houses teach children how to live and behave in the adult world. In offering up the entire domestic world at a glance, doll’s houses also reflect, in particular, how objects surround human lives and exert their influence on us.

This doll’s house was designed by Gerrit Rietveld, one of the most important furniture designers, architects, and advocates of modernism in the early twentieth century. It was made for the children of the Jesse family, whom he was visiting at the time. Here, the children—Anita and Matcheld—could envision a pared-down lifestyle, surrounded by tasteful modern objects, in the postwar world.

Caption

Gerrit Th. Rietveld (Dutch, 1888–1964); Jacobus (Koos) van Vliet (Dutch, born 1922, active mid–20th century); Piet van Gelder (Dutch, active mid 20th century). Dollhouse, 1952. Wood, metals, textiles, other materials, 24 x 36 x 24 in. (61.0 x 91.4 x 61.0 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcus S. Friedlander, by exchange, 2008.74. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Dollhouse

Date

1952

Medium

Wood, metals, textiles, other materials

Dimensions

24 x 36 x 24 in. (61.0 x 91.4 x 61.0 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Marcus S. Friedlander, by exchange

Accession Number

2008.74

Frequent Art Questions

  • Did Rietveld design any other toys in his career?

    Yes, he did, we have in our collections a dollhouse that he also designed. Rietveld himself had six children, and many of his friends had kids, for whom he created toys. The dollhouse in particular was designed for the children of his friends, the Jesse family.

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Artists and makers

Gerrit Th. Rietveld

4 works in the collection

Jacobus (Koos) van Vliet

1 work in the collection

Piet van Gelder

1 work in the collection