Featured image: photos of a Christian Hacker French Villa (c.1880-1890) and a G&J Lines English Townhouse (c. 1895) that the public can see as part of the Elizabeth Johnston Prime Dollhouse Collection at the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts.
Guided Prime Dollhouse Tours Being Offered on Six Dates This Summer
BETHLEHEM, PA—This summer, explore the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts’ vault for the rare opportunity to experience the Elizabeth Johnston Prime Dollhouse Collection, a unique assemblage of 44 antique structures highlighting 100 years of architectural and decorative arts history. The guided Behind the Scenes Dollhouse Tour will take place Saturdays June 14 and 28, July 5 and 26 and Aug. 16 and 30 at noon and are limited to only eight attendees per tour. Tickets are $30 for the public and $25 for Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) Members; they’re on sale now at historicbethlehem.org and 610-882-0450.
The Behind the Scenes Dollhouse Tour provides exclusive access to the Prime Dollhouse Collection, which features a variety of antique structures including dollhouses, stores, stables, mansions and verandas representing every decade between 1830 and 1930. The 19th and early 20th-century works of art are complemented by an extensive collection of more than 6,000 meticulously crafted miniature pieces, including dolls, furniture, paintings, animals, rugs, dishes and chandeliers. Prime, who donated the collection to HBMS and the Kemerer Museum in 2007, was so precise in her collecting that she only put pieces in each house that were period-appropriate, right down to the chinaware.
Among the dollhouses in the collection are exquisite houses created by renowned dollhouse designers from Germany such as Moritz Gottschalk and Christian Hacker. The oldest house in the collection, constructed in 1830, has a storied history that includes floating down the Allegheny River in western Pennsylvania. The cabinet house, made in Warren County, Pa., is made of mahogany and includes all the original furniture and accessories.
The Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, 427 N. New St., Bethlehem, is one of only 15 decorative arts museums in the country. All of the pieces in the Elizabeth Johnston Prime Dollhouse Collection are housed in an environmentally controlled vault that protects the works of art from moisture, temperature changes and potential damage. For more information, visit historicbethlehem.org.
ABOUT HISTORIC BETHLEHEM MUSEUMS & SITES
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) is a nonprofit institution that brings to life three centuries of American history. HBMS tells the story of a small town of great influence, home to some of our nation’s earliest settlers, America’s first municipal water pumping system and one of the world’s greatest industrial companies. HBMS is located in eastern Pennsylvania, only a one-hour drive north of Philadelphia and two hours west of New York City. The nonprofit is a partner in Moravian Church Settlements-Bethlehem, the United States’ 26th World Heritage site; an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution; and part of Historic Moravian Bethlehem, which is a National Historic Landmark District. For more information, visit historicbethlehem.org.
Information provided to TVL by:
Mark Demko
