The Barbie Dreamhouse may have set the contemporary template for dollhouses: mass-produced plastic toys crafted for children not just to play with, but to spit on, break, and quickly get bored with. But it hasn’t always been this way.

Traditionally, dollhouses have served various purposes that have had little to do with innocent amusement: They were works of art in their own right. In the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in northern Europe, wealthy households constructed splendid dollhouses as wunderkammer to entertain and delight visitors—and to exercise their excellent taste. By the same token, these luxurious display cabinets were didactic tools, used to teach little girls the domestic skills they would need to run their households as adult wives.