A Timeline of the History of Miniatures: From Ritual and Religious Object to Plaything and Collectible

3rd Millennium BC (Old Kingdom Egypt)

The earliest known examples of dollhouses. These included wooden models of servants, furnishings, boats, livestock and pets and were placed in pyramids for religious purposes.

Mesopotamia/ Iron Age/ Ancient Egypt (3000s BC)

• Mesopotamian clay tablets considered the first miniature books.
• Miniature artwork in the Egyptian papyrus manuscripts.
• Iron Age/Roman West votive offerings and grave gods.
• Salisbury hoard detailed miniaturized bronze shields. So detailed they are later used by archaeologists to learn about their full-scale counterparts.

American Pre-Columbian (1st millennium BC to 16th Century AD)

Small-scale architectural effigies are made in ceramic, stone, wood and metal.

Early Roman (753 BC — 476 AD)

Less representational miniature Roman weapons produced.

Late Roman (late 3rd — mid 4th centuries AD)

Mithrassymbole — detailed bronze miniatures of farming implements, snakes, lizards and frogs placed in wealthy female burial sites around Cologne.

Medieval Period (5th to 15th Century)

The word “miniature” is derived from the pigment used in the small, detailed art of illuminated manuscripts — “minium.”

1468

Peter Schoffer publishes Diurnale Mogantinum — the first traditional miniature book.

Ancient Peru/ Inca Empire (13th to 16th Century)

Miniature feathered clothing and gold, silver and copper figurines made as religious offerings.

16th Century

• Earliest known European dollhouses called baby houses. These were cabinet display cases with individual rooms, trophy collections made for adults.
• Small toy tea sets, made from pewter and copper first created in Germany.

17th Century

Rise of the use of maquettes during the baroque period — small models of planned sculptures. Also referred to as plastico, modello, bozzetto or sketch. This date could potentially be earlier in history.

18th Century

• Smaller doll houses with more realistic exteriors appeared in Europe.
• Porcelain manufacture led to the resurgence of children’s tea sets.
• First model train engines created as prototype steam engines.
• Shipwrights build scale ships as demonstration prototypes.

Late 18th — Early 19th Century (Industrial Revolution)

Dollhouses began being mass produced in factories by Christian Hacker, Moritz, Gottschalk, Elastolin, Moritz Reichel in Germany, and Silber & Fleming, Evans & Cartwright, Lines Brothers (later Tri-ang) in the UK.

Early 19th Century (start of WWI)

Germany’s popular dollhouse manufacturing declines.

Mid-19th Century

More cost-effective children’s tea sets produced from bakelite and celluloid and dolls’ tea sets emerge with the invention of celluloid dolls.

1843–1912

UK company Stevens’ Model Dockyard produces miniature brass locomotives.

Mid 1850s

Small scale commercial train models produced.

1850–1870

Model trains become more available.

1870s

US company Eugene Beggs of New Jersey begins making steam models.

Late 1800s — 1940s

Salesman samples produced.

End of the 19th Century

• The Bliss Manufacturing Company begins making dollhouses in the US.
• Germany’s Markland Company is the first to use a numerical model train gauge system.

20th Century

Clockwork model horseless carriages date back to this time. These are the earliest miniature automobiles.

1917

TynieToy Company of Providence, Rhode Island makes authentic replicas of American antique houses. Other notable early 20th century American dollhouse companies include Roger Williams Toys, Tootsietoy, Schoenhut, Wisconson Toy Co.

1934

Meccano Ltd. Introduces a set of six die cast scale model cars to go with their O scale model train line — Dinky Toys.

1936

First plastic models manufactured by Frog in the UK.

Mid 1940s

First wooden scale model automobile kits produced by Ace and Berkley.

1945

First plastic automobile kits produced by Revell.

Late 1940s

• American companies began producing plastic models. These companies included Hawk, Varney, Empire, Renwal, and Lindberg.
• Dollhouses are mass produced in larger scales with less detail.

1950s

• More companies began production of plastic models. In the US – Aurora, Revell, AMT, Monogram, UK- Airfix, Matchbox, France- Heller SA, Italy- Italeri, ESCI, Former Soviet Union- Novo, Japan- Fujima, Nichimo, Bandai.
• Automobile models originally made as sales promotional items become popular with the public. AMT begins producing 1:25 scale models to meet this demand.
• Most dollhouses are made with sheet metal and contain plastic furniture. They are relatively inexpensive and available to developed western countries.

1958

AMT starts producing model car kits.

1960s

Tamiya began manufacturing plastic model aircraft kits.

1970s

Japanese companies Hasegawa and Tamiya dominate the plastic model industry.

1990s

Chinese companies DML, AFV Club and Trumpeter join Hasegawa and Tamiya at the top of the plastic model industry.

2004

Tamiya reissues a small selection of plastic model aircraft kits.