31°
Two area residents, the late Evelyn and Frank Gerratana, created the Victorian dollhouse in 1979 and designed it to resemble a doctor’s house in honor of their son, who was in medical school at the time. The Gerratanas' photographs are featured in the museum’s exhibition, “Picturing the News: The Distinctive Vision of Harry Neigher and Frank Gerratana.”
The Gerratanas presented the dollhouse to their son when he opened his first office as an orthopedic surgeon. Different pieces of furniture and the décor within the dollhouse were created by a number of miniature makers with whom the Gerratanas came into contact through the Miniature Collectors Guild of Connecticut and the National Association of Miniatures Enthusiasts. It includes a dining room where the doctor’s wife is preparing tea, a doctor’s office showing the doctor consulting with a girl in a wheelchair, a parlor and bedrooms, including one with its own dollhouse.
Frank was a past Connecticut representative and member of the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts. He was also past president of the Miniature Collectors Guild and was known for his handcrafted miniature medical instruments. Evelyn served eight years as the regional director of the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts and a former national historian for 12 years.
To see the dollhouse, visit the Holiday Express Train Show now through Sunday, Jan. 3. It is open weekends from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., weekdays through Wednesday, Dec. 23, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and holiday week from Thursday, Dec. 24, through Thursday, Dec. 31, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The museum is closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors; members of the museum and children younger than 5 are admitted free.
The Fairfield Museum and History Center is at 370 Beach Road, Fairfield.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Fairfield and receive free news updates.
