Le Pavillon de la Lanterne

This is the story of an extraordinary dollhouse created by Jean and Marguerite van der Does in memory of their beloved daughter Joanna Alexis. This remarkable piece of art took roughly 15 years to create; each and every piece - right down to the individually sculpted, fired and glazed floor tiles - lovingly and expertly made by my grandparents, in one of the most touching tributes to anyone I have ever heard of.

Le Pavillon de la Lanterne was taken in for a limited engagement at the Wenham Museum in Wenham, MA in 2012, and it was at this point that most of the content on this site was created - for a printed brochure and accompanying booklet to help describe details of it more. The majority of it was told from my mother's (Nanine van der Does Steglich) standpoint, and so the narrator throughout this site will largely be her.

The dollhouse is currently back in our possession, prominently displayed so folks who visit can explore it from all angles and gaze upon the beauty and intricate detail. We all love it, but feel that it should be in a museum somewhere, where the world can enjoy it too. So if you know of any such place, please contact us and lets discuss something. This is truly a one-of-a-kind piece, and we know that you will come to see this as well. So please have a look around the site, check out the photos and read the stories. I hope to have some VR videos from inside the rooms at some point as well. Until then though - have fun in this tiny world!