Here are a few pieces for Manderley. The photograph is an old ambrotype of an unknown lady, bought on ebay. I thought it was so sad that on the back was written 'Not to be given away to anyone'. This lady was once loved and this image was once treasured by someone, but now although this may be the only existing photograph of this lady, her identity is now lost and forgotten. Now she will be treasured once again! She deserves a beautiful room I think. I love the patina of the frame and the way the oxidised green on the frame matches the tinted colours of her dress. The salon of Manderley is in similar green tones, very unfinished at the moment so I'll add pictures once it's in a more presentable state. The lilacs are made from an Anja van den Doel kit, the cushion I embroidered on 35 count linen using a pattern in 'Embroidered Projects' by Sue Hawkins (Dolls House Do-It-Yourself series). There was an extra line of stitches, oops, but I am very new to needlepoint so I was happy anyway with the result and hopefully it isn't too obvious! I bought the Biedermeier commode second hand in a German market, pre-made, I think it is by Mini Mundus.
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4 comments:
An interesting collection. I agree that the photograph is a bit sad, one of my other hobbies is family history so I can relate to these old 'anonymous' photos as the subjects are all part of someone's family. What an unusual thing to have that comment written on the back of this one.
Funnily enough my other hobby is also family history. I have bought many old photos (and old diaries etc) in the past, in a way to 'rescue' them and maybe to find out who they were if they are named. Sadly we don't have any family photos from quite as far back as this, but some of those we do have I would like to incorporate into the house in some way to give it some kind of family history value.
I think it's really nice to have photos of family in our mini houses. In my 1:16 scale 1920s house there is a photograph of my paternal grandmother taken around that time above the fireplace in the study and the photos on the open page of the album in the living room are family and family related. I plan to make a bunch of little ones to put in a box as well. The calendar in the kitchen shows a photo of the town my father's family lived in prior to migration to NZ, and the year and month showing is when they sailed from England. There's no room in this house for an attic but I think that would be a perfect place for old portraits, albums and so on.
I like the idea of your 'rescuing' photos and diaries. How exciting it would be if you were ever able to reunite some of these with their families.
I really enjoy family research, the most fun was tracking down convict ancestors of an aunt-in-law. It turned up the most amazing stories. Nothing so exciting in my immediate family. Of course my kids live in the (vain) hope that eventually I'll discover a family castle and unclaimed inheritance - if only!! :)
Sorry it's taken me a while to reply to your comment! I wish I had more time for family research, as it's fascinating to uncover those lost stories from the past. I have a few connections with Australia (both convicts, and early settlers). I've had a good look at your 1:16 house, I love the idea of using a calendar to 'date' it aswell. Someday I would like to do something in 1:16 scale, maybe restoring the childhood dolls house my grandfather made for me.
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