The Brandywine Museum of Art’s latest exhibit highlights a unique collection of vintage dollhouses belonging to beloved artist Ann Wyeth McCoy, writes Peter Crimmins for WHYY.
McCoy, sister to Andrew Wyeth and youngest daughter to famed illustrator N.C. Wyeth, transformed a nine-foot-tall tool shed into a modular set of dollhouses with her husband John McCoy. After furnishing, decorating, and painting the removable dollhouses for years, two of the six rooms now sit on display at Brandywine for the museum’s holiday display.
Hailing from a family of artists, Ann Wyeth McCoy began her dollhouse project in 1966. Family and friends helped decorate and furnish her collection. One room includes a tiny photo album made by her nephew Jamie Wyeth.
The dollhouses honor the Wyeth family with their intricate décor. The tiny decorations also include mini Wyeth paintings and a miniature six-pack of Coca-Cola to reference N.C. Wyeth’s advertising work for the company.
The Brandywine Museum of Art’s dollhouse exhibition goes beyond the unique Wyeth family heirlooms. The museum also recently acquired a scale model of the Peters-Herdeg house, a historic mansion in Chadds Ford. Mansion owners Judith and John Herdeg hired artist Roger Demers to complete the identical miniature, a process which would take over five years.
Visitors can enjoy the remarkable models in addition to other beloved Wyeth works at the museum’s holiday display, which is set to run through Jan. 4.
Read more about Ann Wyeth McCoy and the Wyeth family dollhouses currently on display at the Brandywine Museum of Art in WHYY.
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