c. 1890
Maker: Captain Thomas Seaborne Sanderson
H 100 x W 90 x D 60 cm
Collection: Benalla Costume and Kelly Museum
Maker: Captain Thomas Seaborne Sanderson
H 100 x W 90 x D 60 cm
Collection: Benalla Costume and Kelly Museum
Made at Sea
Visiting his sister in Melbourne on one of his port stops, Captain Thomas Seaborne Sanderson was so charmed by his young niece Jessie Maud Hargrave that he decided to build her a doll house during one of his long sea voyages.
The house had to be something special, so story has it that Thomas consulted the ship’s carpenter and other crew members for advice as the project progressed
A return trip to Melbourne saw the house presented to a delighted Jessie and the house remained a treasured possession within the Hargrave family. During World War II, Jessie gave the doll house to her young niece Marion to help cheer her up while her father was away. Like her aunt before her, Marion loved playing with Uncle Tom’s doll house.
The doll house was bequeathed to the Benalla Museum in 1995 by the Hargrave family.
