Guide to the Collection of Tynietoy and LeClerc dollhouse furniture , 1920s-1930s
Providence Public Library, Special Collections
150 Empire Street
Providence, RI 02903
Tel: 401-455-8000
E-mail: special-collections@provlib.org
Published in
Collection Overview
| Title: | Collection of Tynietoy and LeClerc dollhouse furniture |
| Date range: | 1920s-1930s |
| Creator: | LeClerc, George |
| Extent: | 2 linear feet |
| Abstract: | Collection of dollhouse furniture made for Tynietoy Furniture Shop in Providence, R.I. Many of the items are attributed to designer and maker George LeClerc. |
| Language of materials: | English |
| Repository: | Providence Public Library, Special Collections |
| Collection number: | 002-05-01 |
Scope & content
The collection includes 32 pieces of dollhouse furniture attributed to either Tynietoy Company or George LeClerc. Also included is one photograph album of LeClerc dollhouse room displays and a newspaper clipping. Attribution of the creator was assigned using additional research materials including furniture design sketches and sales catalogs available in the Tynietoy Collection at RISD Archives.Access Points
Subject Names Subject Organizations Subject Topics Subject Topics Document TypesArrangement
The collection is organized into a three series: materials and photograph album attributed to George LeClerc, materials attributed to Tynietoy and unattributed items.
Historical note
The Tynietoy Company was founded by Marion I. Perkins (1872-1947) and Amey Vernon (1876-1940) in Providence, Rhode Island. Marion Perkins was born in Providence and attended Miss Abbott’s School, Mary C. Wheeler School and Rhode Island School of Design. After graduating, she worked as an interior decorator and began making miniature furniture in 1917. Perkins engaged her close friend Amey Vernon as a partner in the business and they worked out of a small studio in the Handicraft Club of which they were both members. The furniture was notable for its historically accurate designs including examples of Hepplewhite, Chippendale, Sheraton and Queen Anne styles. In 1920, the business, then called The Toy Furniture Shop, moved to 227 Benefit Street. In 1923, the artist Sydney Burleigh joined the firm and standardized the scale of the pieces and assisted in designs for furniture and dollhouses. They moved again in 1928 to 31 Market Street. Amey Vernon retired in 1933, Marion Perkins retired in 1941 and the company closed in 1953 after several management changes. George Henri LeClerc (1894-1972) was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts and attended Rhode Island School of Design in 1921. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1915 and served until 1919. He was employed as a draftsmen and production manager by the Tynietoy Company from 1920- 1938 after which he continued designing and making miniature furniture in New Bedford. In the 1940s, he exhibited a group of twenty miniature rooms at the Jordan Marsh department store in Boston, Massachusetts. Tynietoy pieces were marked with paper labels until 1925 at which point they began using a rubber stamp. In 1930, pieces were marked with a branding iron. Tynietoy did not trademark their designs until 1938. LeClerc continued using many of the pre-1938 Tynietoy designs in his private work after he left the company. Because of these factors, it can be difficult to definitively attribute some of the items in the collection to either Tynietoy or LeClerc.Access & Use
| Access to the collection: | There are no restrictions on access. Appointments are encouraged. |
| Use of the materials: | Although Providence Public Library has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them. |
| Preferred citation: | Collection of Tynietoy and LeClerc dollhouse furniture , 002-05-01, Providence Public Library. |
| Contact information: | Providence Public Library, Special Collections 150 Empire Street Providence, RI 02903 Tel: 401-455-8000 E-mail: special-collections@provlib.org |
Administrative Information
| ABOUT THE COLLECTION | |
| Acquisition: | Unknown. |
| ABOUT THE FINDING AID | |
| Author: | Finding aid prepared by Wells, Kate. |
| Encoding: | Finding aid encoded by Wells, Kate 2018 August 06 |
| Descriptive rules: | Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) |
Additional Information
| Related material: | Tynietoy Collection at RISD Archives. George H. LeClerc miniature furniture design records,1930s, MC 56. University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. |
Inventory
Series 1. Materials attributed to George LeClerc
| Folder 01 | George LeClerc photograph album Contents Note: 20 photographs of dollhouse room displays created by George LeClerc, including newspaper clipping. |
undated |
| Folder 02-04 | Hepplewhite Style Dining Chair with red seat Contents Note: Hepplewhite style dining chair with upholstered red fabric seats. Stained mahogany. |
| Folder 06-10 | Chippendale style dining chair with brocade seat Contents Note: Hepplewhite style dining chair with upholstered gold fabric seats. Stained mahogany. |
| Folder 11 | Chippendale style dining chair with purple seat Contents Note: Chippendale style dining chair with upholstered, striped, purple seat cushion. 1:6 Play scale. 5.75” height. |
| Folder 12 | Foot stool Contents Note: Footstool in maple with purple fabric top. Scroll decoration on legs and brace. |
| Folder 13 | Books Contents Note: Books for bookshelves. Total of 14. One set broken. |
| Folder 14 | Side table Contents Note: Mahogany side table with six straight carved legs. One leg broken off. |
| Folder 15 | Fireplace with mantle Contents Note: Brick fireplace & chimney with wood mantle. Includes hanging fireplace tongs. |
| Folder 16 | Hepplewhite style Sideboard Contents Note: Mahogany sideboard in Hepplewhite style with tapered legs. Includes 2 large drawers, 1 small drawer with felt liner, 2 hinged cabinet doors. Brass knobs. |
| Folder 17 | Round table Contents Note: Mahogany round table with tapered legs. |
| Folder 18 | Demi lune table Contents Note: Mahogany half round table with three tapered legs. Scratched top |
Series 2. Materials attributed to Tynietoy
| Folder 19 | Brace back Windsor Chair Contents Note: Black chair with molded seat. V braced back. |
| Folder 20 | Sack back Windsor chair Contents Note: Red chair with molded seat. Windsor sack back armchair. |
| Folder 21 | Fan back Windsor chair Contents Note: Red chair with minimally molded seat (almost flat). Fan back style chair. |
| Folder 22 | Rush seat ladder back chair Contents Note: Rush seat ladder back chair in maple. |
| Folder 23 | Rush seat rocking ladder back rocking chair Contents Note: Rush seat rocking ladder back rocking chair in maple. |
| Folder 24 | Gov. Winthrop desk Contents Note: Mahogany slant top desk with table open. Includes one small drawer and three large drawers. Includes papers in drawer, ink blotter and ink pot. |
| Folder 25 | Spanish style trestle table Contents Note: Dark stain wood trestle table with decorative spindles. Matches bench seat. Includes Tynietoy stamp under table top. |
| Folder 29 | Spanish style bench seat Contents Note: Dark stain wood bench style seat with decorative spindles along the back. Fabric covering on seat. Includes velvet pillow. Matches trestle table. |
| Folder 26 | Trestle table Contents Note: Mahogany trestle table. Legs have scrolled detail ad includes three braces. |
| Folder 30 | Canopy bed Contents Note: Maple four-poster canopy bed with rounded headboard. Includes mattress, floral bedcover, pillow & canopy |
| Folder 27 | Bureau Contents Note: Maple 4 drawer bureau. Includes two small drawers and two large drawers. Simple scroll detail on side at legs. Brass knobs. |
| Folder 28 | Washstand Contents Note: Maple washstand with tapered legs. |
Series 3. Unattributed items
| Folder 31 | Trestle table Contents Note: Mahogany trestle table with highly decorative brace and legs. |
| Folder 32 | Blanket chest Contents Note: Mahogany blanket chest. Hinged top with blankets and lace stored inside. Drawer doesn't open. |
| Folder 33a-33b | Throw rugs Contents Note: Two oriental styled throw rugs with tassels. |