Gerrit Th. Rietveld (Dutch, 1888–1964). <em>Dollhouse</em>, 1952. Wood, metals, textiles, other materials, 24 x 36 x 24 in. (61.0 x 91.4 x 61.0 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcus S. Friedlander, by exchange, 2008.74. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.2008.74_back_plan.jpg)

Gerrit Th. Rietveld (Dutch, 1888–1964). Dollhouse, 1952. Wood, metals, textiles, other materials, 24 x 36 x 24 in. (61.0 x 91.4 x 61.0 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcus S. Friedlander, by exchange, 2008.74. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.2008.74_back_plan.jpg)

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Did Rietveld design any other toys in his career?

Yes, he did, we have in our collections a dollhouse that he also designed. Rietveld himself had six children, and many of his friends had kids, for whom he created toys. The dollhouse in particular was designed for the children of his friends, the Jesse family.

Dollhouse

Decorative Arts and Design

Like many toys, doll’s houses teach children how to live and behave in the adult world. In offering up the entire domestic world at a glance, doll’s houses also reflect, in particular, how objects surround human lives and exert their influence on us.

This doll’s house was designed by Gerrit Rietveld, one of the most important furniture designers, architects, and advocates of modernism in the early twentieth century. It was made for the children of the Jesse family, whom he was visiting at the time. Here, the children—Anita and Matcheld—could envision a pared-down lifestyle, surrounded by tasteful modern objects, in the postwar world.

DESIGNER Gerrit Th. Rietveld, Dutch, 1888–1964

MAKERS Jacobus (Koos) van Vliet, Dutch, born 1922, active mid–20th century; Piet van Gelder, Dutch, active mid 20th century

MEDIUM Wood, metals, textiles, other materials

DATES 1952

DIMENSIONS 24 x 36 x 24 in. (61.0 x 91.4 x 61.0 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Decorative Arts and Design

ACCESSION NUMBER 2008.74

CREDIT LINE Gift of Marcus S. Friedlander, by exchange

EXHIBITIONS

Diverse Works: Director's Choice, 1997-2015

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Gerrit Th. Rietveld (Dutch, 1888–1964). Dollhouse, 1952. Wood, metals, textiles, other materials, 24 x 36 x 24 in. (61.0 x 91.4 x 61.0 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcus S. Friedlander, by exchange, 2008.74. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.2008.74_back_plan.jpg)

IMAGE back, for study purposes only, CUR.2008.74_back_plan.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2010

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Did Rietveld design any other toys in his career?