TynieToy shop interior circa 1936 Right to left: Hellen Sutter, Ernest Sutter,Melville Davey, Frank Batastini, Edwin Davey, Jennie Saul

A brief TynieToy history
Paraphrased from an interview with Miss Perkins by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Operating between World War I and World War II, TynieToy was a preeminent maker of doll house furniture. These delicate and authentic reproductions to scale of period American furniture bore the endorsement of the leading arts and crafts societies of the country.

In 1917, Miss Marion Perkins found her interior decorating business failing because of war priorities. Undaunted, she began to think about what the children would do for toys now that the cheap supply of European imports was staunched. Drawing on her creative skills, Miss Perkins began making, to scale, period furniture miniatures from a loft above the Handicraft Club on Market Square in Providence, Rhode Island.

It wasn't long before she had enough furniture for an entire room. This was placed on display at the club where it was discovered by a representative of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York who acquired it for permanent display at the Met.

This display was viewed by Miss Amey Vernon, a society matron who became intrigued and started promoting the furniture through a series of drawing room sales....today's house party sale.

From there the business grew and Miss Perkins opened the first TynieToy workshop in an old colonial house on Benefit Street in Providence. To house growing collections of individual pieces, the Company began to make doll house replicas of famous New England homes and continued to expand the furniture line. By the 1930's there were 10 house styles offered, 9 beds, 10 chests, 21 chairs, 3 cupboards, 5 fireplases and stoves, 3 sideboards 2 musical instruments, 6 sofas and settles, 20 tables and stands, 7 lavatory appliances, and over 120 different furnishing items.