LONDON.- The V&A Museum of Childhood’s major 2014-15 exhibition Small Stories: At home in a dolls’ house reveals the fascinating stories behind some of the UK’s best-loved dolls’ houses. Through the stories of 12 dolls’ houses from the past 300 years, visitors will be taken on a journey through the history of the home, everyday lives and changing family relationships.

The small stories of each house has been brought to life by the characters that live or work there. Day-to-day life has been illuminated through tales of marriages and parties, politics and crime. Each house is being displayed at a particular time of day and visitors can use buttons alongside the showcases to activate the narration and light up each character as they talk.

The exhibition encompasses country mansions, the Georgian town house, suburban villas, newly-built council estates and high-rise apartments. Displayed chronologically, the houses also show developments in architecture and design.

Highlights include:
The Tate Baby House dating from 1760 was owned by five or six generations, passed down from mother to eldest daughter. It includes original wallpapers and painted paneling in the style of Robert Adam and a lying-in room for a pregnant doll. The story of this house centres on the rising status of three generations of Georgian women.

The Killer House was a gift from surgeon John Egerton Killer to his wife and daughters in the 1830s. This Chinese-style cabinet is lavishly appointed with gilded wallpapers, four-poster bed and liveried servants. The story centres on the servants’ ongoing struggle for cleanliness and hygiene in the industrial city.

Whiteladies House was designed by artist Moray Thomas and was built in the 1930s. It corresponds to the handful of Modernist country villas emerging in Hampstead at the time. The story centres on a house party and the house features chrome furniture, a cocktail bar and artworks by British Futurist Claude Flight as well as a swimming pool and loggia.

The Hopkinson House is based on the houses of London County Council’s 1930s suburb, the St Helier Estate. The interiors show a Second World War-era family in intricate detail, poised for an air-raid, with miniature gasmasks, ration books and torches for the blackouts.

Kaleidoscope House’s multicoloured translucent walls are filled with miniature replicas of Ron Arad, Cindy Sherman and Barbara Kruger furniture and artworks. It is home to a design conscious step-family living in the new millennium. The house was designed by Laurie Simmons.

The finale of the exhibition is a specially commissioned art installation Dream House, created by 20 contemporary designers.

Exhibition curator, Alice Sage, said: “Dolls’ houses can be autobiographical or create fantastical worlds. These special spaces are deposits for real memories, fanciful ideas and often a lifetime of dedication. The experience of peeking into the tiny rooms and seeing all the meticulous detail is fascinating for children and adults, and hopefully everyone will discover something new. Our research for the exhibition uncovered new characters and stories in the histories of these objects, and now we are using them to bring the houses to life by creating a small story for each of these well-loved houses.”

Many of the houses, their furniture and dolls have been specially conserved for the exhibition. Around 1,900 objects in total have been restored over the past two years in the V&A conservation department.

A further 20 dolls’ houses dating from 1673 to 2014 are on display within the Museum’s permanent galleries. The latest research enriches the interpretation of old favourites, and introduce new acquisitions. In total, the V&A Museum of Childhood has a collection of around 100 dolls’ houses.

The exhibition will tour around the UK, to Europe and the United States.