Dollhouse and Miniatures Exhibition Featuring Dozens of Antique Dollhouses and Thousands of Miniatures Opens October 29.
Bethlehem, PA (October 28, 2026)–Four-foot-tall antique dollhouses and porcelain china miniatures recovered from a 17th-century shipwreck are among the highlights of the new Art of the Dollhouse exhibition at Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites’ (HBMS) Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts. Tickets are now available for self-guided tours, docent-guided tours, and private collectors’ hours that allow you into the exhibit before it officially opens for the day.
“This exhibition thoughtfully examines how society, decorative arts, toymaking, and play evolved together over the course of four centuries,” said HBMS Vice President & Managing Director Lindsey Jancay. “Visitors are often surprised to discover how much we can learn about our history from objects we might otherwise dismiss as child’s play.”
Many of the dollhouses come from the Elizabeth Johnston Prime collection, once one of the largest privately owned dollhouse collections in the United States. Prime bequeathed 44 houses and more than 6,000 miniatures crafted between 1830 and the early 1930s to HBMS in 2006.
Visitors will explore rare antique dollhouses
The collection features nearly 60 antique dollhouses and structures, some as tall as a child. It includes masterpieces by renowned manufacturers and retailers such as Christian Hacker, Moritz Gottschalk, Johann Daniel Kestner Jr., FAO Schwarz, and Silber & Fleming.
Each house has remarkably preserved era-specific details. For example, a late 1800s French villa by Christian Hacker includes its original handmade tapestries. An 1895 English townhouse by G&J Lines features an electric chandelier and delicate blown glass.
The exhibition also includes modern dollhouses crafted by skilled woodworkers, and a candy-colored 21st century Kaleidoscope House by artist Laurie Simmons.
“It’s amazing to see the way people viewed home and family evolve over the centuries through the lens of life in miniature,” said Jancay.
In addition to miniature houses, visitors will enjoy additional doll-sized scenes. They include a miniature train station with its original lithographed paper shingles still intact, a detailed Noah’s Ark reproduction, and horse stables that include adorable tiny animals. Inside small-scale storefronts, visitors will discover miniature details like sugar cones and hand-painted vegetables.
Miniature enthusiasts will enjoy browsing thousands of tiny items
An extensive collection of more than 6,000 miniatures makes the dollhouses extra special. The collector lovingly furnished each house to match its era with miniature china, whimsical furniture, and details that include tiny watercolor paintings.
“Some of these small pieces tell the biggest stories and with thousands of miniatures to see here, this exhibition has numerous stories to tell,” said Jancay.
One especially noteworthy miniature grouping is a set of porcelain china vases that went down with the Vung Tau Cargo shipwreck around 1690. Divers recovered them about 300 years later. Visitors will also see an antique needlework table holding an intricate miniature tapestry, a bed and vanity from 1810, a kitchen stove by Wolverhampton toymakers, and an early 19th-century personal devotional.
Reserve tickets for special Dollhouse exhibition-related programming
The most passionate dollhouse enthusiasts and miniature collectors will enjoy special “Collectors’ Hour” access. These limited-space sessions allow guests to take their time observing every detail. There are also docent-led tours available where visitors will learn the lore behind some of the most talked-about pieces, including a dollhouse that sold for more than the price of a new car and the secrets of the so-called “mystery houses.”
Throughout the exhibition’s run, HBMS will also host special related events like an October 31 workshop where you can paint your own miniature watercolor masterpiece and a November 15 program on “Dollhouses in Art History.” The special event schedule will be regularly updated on the HBMS website.
Art of the Dollhouse exhibition details
Location: Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, 427 N. New St., Bethlehem
Dates: October 29, 2026 through June 27, 2027
Hours: Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Expanded days and hours will be available during the holiday season.
Tours: Self-guided and docent-guided tours are available
Tickets: Reserve tickets on the Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites website
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 founded by Moravians on December 24, 1741. Home to some of our nation’s earliest settlers, America’s first municipal water pumping system, the earliest school to educate women in the American Colonies, and one of the world’s greatest industrial companies of the 20th century. HBMS preserves 20 historic structures, 7 gardens, 5 ruins, 1 orchard, and 60,000+ artifacts in the heart of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Located one hour from Philadelphia and two hours from New York City, HBMS is a proud Smithsonian Affiliate. Historic Moravian Bethlehem is a National Historic Landmark District and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 26th in the United States.
Editor’s Note: Attached are three photos from the new Art of the Dollhouse exhibition. Additional photos are available in the Photo Drive.
Media Contact:
Mark Demko, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, 484-634-1800 or [email protected].
