A World Made Small

The Colonial Williamsburg toy collection is vast and its dollhouses represent a span of more than 100 years. "A World Made Small" will showcase seven unique dollhouses, the earliest of which - the Morris-Canby-Rumford Dollhouse - dates to 1820 and was made in Philadelphia. Wood and various materials were used to make this dollhouse for twin girls, Elizabeth Clifford Morris and Sarah Wistar Morris, when they were about seven years old. It stayed in the same family for generations until given to the museum in the 1980s. Each generation cared for and added to the house; it includes original furnishings from the 1820s as well as detailed furnishings made in the 1930s.

In addition to the dollhouses, "A World Made Small" also features other toys, including German wooden toy sets from the 19th century. One set consists of a castle-like fort surrounded by soldiers and tents while another replicates a 19th-century farm complex complete with horses and sheep. The exhibition also displays a set of antique spelling blocks that, when put together, properly construct the village schoolhouse.