This set of hatboxes will be placed
in the dollhouse bedroom
On this blog, you’ll find everything about dollhouses and miniatures. Op dit blog vind je alles over poppenhuizen en miniaturen.
This set of hatboxes will be placed
in the dollhouse bedroom
In the Huis van Gijn lived the businessman, lawyer,
and collector Simon van Gijn from 1864 until his death in 1922
I felt like I was walking around in a large,
old dollhouse and really enjoyed this museum
It’s a wonderful place to get ideas if you
want to create a dollhouse from the early 1900s
Oud-Dordrecht Association on the condition that
his house would be set up as a museum
The house was opened to the public in 1925,
and it seems as if time has stood still there ever since
The house has furniture from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries
and features a large collection of art and toys,
including the famous dollhouse of Agnes Maria Clifford
(also known as Grootje Backer)
Het huis heeft meubels uit de 17de, 18de en 19de eeuw
en beschikt over een grote kunst- en speelgoedcollectie waaronder het
bekende poppenhuis van Agnes Maria Clifford (ook wel Grootje Backer genoemd)
The symmetrical layout, with doors opposite each other, is typical of the 18th century
Grandfather clock with ship mechanism, circa 1750–1775
Since its construction in 1729, the kitchen has changed very little
The 19th-century sheet iron stove used to burn almost
all day because it also provided the hot water
Het 19de eeuws plaatijzeren fornuis brandde vroeger bijna
The red salon was the elegant reception room and the domain
of Mrs. van Gijn, where she drank tea with her
friends and received guests for dinner
In the dining room, meals were enjoyed in style by the light of candles or an oil lamp
The conservatory next to the dining room
Service room next to the dining room
The garden room was the living room where the Van Gijns
spent time together or with close friends
Music was played, books were read, or games were played there
Study
At the end of his life, Van Gijn spent most of his time in the study,
surrounded by his beloved collections and the portrait of his wife
Bathroom and boudoir
In 1882/83, Dordrecht got a water supply, and part of the
dressing room was converted into a bathroom with a modern toilet
For the staff, this ended the hauling of hot and
cold water for baths or wash pitchers
Marital bedroom
In this bedroom, the walls are covered with linen velour wallpaper
featuring a Louis XV-style pattern dating from the time of construction
During the time the Van Gijns lived here, it was covered with floral wallpaper
After the death of his wife, this became Van Gijn’s bedroom
In the last years of his life, he needed help with
everything and was also confined to a wheelchair
The gold leather room
This room is unique in the Netherlands
Making gold leather is a labor-intensive process
After the calfskins are cut to size, they are covered with thin
sheets of silver leaf, then polished and brushed with egg white
Next, a yellow varnish is applied, giving the silver a golden shine
The relief is then pressed into the leather, which is subsequently painted in color
Finally, the sheets are sewn together
In this gold-leather wallpaper, the embossed scrolling pattern
continues seamlessly across multiple panels
Hall with rich woodwork and valuable wall tapestries
This is the main room of the house and has been
used for receptions and parties since 1730
It is the oldest preserved hall with tapestries in a Dutch residential home
Mangle attic
The second floor used to be an open space,
with two bedrooms for the staff sectioned off
The remaining space was used for storage and for drying the laundry
The laundry was mangled, folded, and pressed in the linen press
Toy attic
The collection in the attic is one of the oldest toy collections in the Netherlands
The collection was largely assembled by the
Oud-Dordrecht Association starting in 1895
After a major donation in 1934, the collection grew into a varied assortment
The photographs by Tollens
In 1886, Simon van Gijn had his house extensively renovated
by the architect Constantijn Muyskens
Shortly after 1900, the Dordrecht photographer Tollens
captured the interiors in a series of photographs,
which Van Gijn added to his collection
The value of the photo series only became truly clear during
the major restoration of the house over a hundred years later (1999–2001)
Most of the rooms had changed in appearance over the years,
but with the help of the photographs, the original situation
could be restored down to the smallest detail