While many may assume that dollhouses are only made for children, these expensive dollhouses in their most original forms require high attention to detail and come at a staggering price.
Barbie houses are not what you will see here. The original dollhouses came into existence in the 1500s, used as representations of royal courts, palaces, and manors. They’re built and decorated with valuable materials and precise design. Far from being just toys for children, these most expensive dollhouses are representative pieces of wealth.
[Hero image credit: The Astolat Dollhouse; featured image credit: Royal Collection Trust]
Some of the Most Expensive Dollhouses in the World
Japanese Dollhouse
Huguette Clark, daughter of an American senator and industrialist William A. Clark, commissioned craftsmen for this expensive dollhouse in the early 1900s. Among the valuable toys and dolls she owned, this special Japanese dollhouse had to gain permission from the Japanese government to use the imperial-building-grade cedar in this model.
Price: $80,000
English Gothic House
Peter Riches, owner of a construction company, took 15 years to complete this Victorian-style mansion. After years of delicately building it piece by piece, the artwork was finally completed with 23 rooms, a servant quarter, game room, a grand piano, a pool table, and a library room. The house was later sold to a Canadian dollhouse enthusiast.
Price: $82,000
Titania’s Palace
It is said that Sir Nevile Wilkinson designed Titania’s Palace for his daughter, Guendolen, who wanted to give fairies a home. The dollhouse is more like a palace, comprising of 18 rooms and over 3,000 miniature works. It was bought by Legoland in Denmark in 1978 and is now placed at Egeskov Castle.
Price: $256,500
Chicago’s Fairy Castle
Chicago’s Fairy Castle is an iconic dollhouse that took seven years and over 700 craftsmen to complete. One of the participants is Walt Disney, who took part in painting the murals on the wall. Antique Chinese royal jade and quartz, as well as gold and diamond chandeliers decorate the house. There are paintings of fairy tale scenes from Cinderella and Snow White & the Dwarfs all around. These days, Chicago’s Fairy Castle is on show at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
Price: $500,000
The Stettheimer Dollhouse
The Stettheimer Dollhouse was created by one of the Stettheimer sisters, Carrie, over the course of 25 years. The sisters were friends with some of the well-known artists in the Jazz Age, like Louis Bouché, Gaston Lachaise, and William Zorach, who contributed by adding small details to the house. It was a reflection of the Stettheimers’ fashionable apartment, now on show at the Museum of the City of New York.
Price: $1 Million
The Astolat Dollhouse
The Astolat Dollhouse is considered by some as the most expensive dollhouse in the world. It was built by Elaine Diehl between 1974-1987, consisting of over 100,000 handcrafted pieces. The dollhouse has a very realistic look, given that the artist used a 1:1 scale. Inside, it is filled with gold chandeliers, oil paintings, a library, a wine cellar, a fireplace, and a lighting system to light up the whole house. The house is now owned by Dr. Michael Freeman and his wife Lois, now on show at Nassau County Museum of Art in Long Island, New York.
Price: $1.1 Million
Queen Mary’s Dollhouse
Princess Marie Louise and Sir Edwin Lutyens gifted this dollhouse to Queen Mary for her dedication in World War I. It was a portrayal of how the aristocratic homes must have been like at that time. The details include copies from famous companies, like Coleman’s Mustard, Cadbury chocolates, a Cartier clock, Rolls-Royce cars, a bottle of Chateau Lafitte 1875, famous paintings, and more. The dollhouse is now on show at Windsor Castle in England.
Price: invaluable
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What is Barbie Dreamhouse made of?
Cardboard
What is an original Barbie Dreamhouse worth?
Around $100-$200
When were Barbie Dream Houses made?
In 1962
Which dollhouse is the most expensive?
Astolat Dollhouse Castle
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In spite of her name, Paint can't really paint or even draw. Life, for her, is a journey in search of good chocolates, fries, chicken wings, and the implication behind her fat cats' split personalities.
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