310 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
August, 1909 
Playhouses for Children 
By Mary H. Northend 
Photographs by the Author 
HE children of to-day are indeed fortunate, 
for many advantages and pleasures are 
theirs which were unheard of fifty years 
ago. Among other things once considered 
merely foolish innovations is the playhouse, 
which is fast becoming more and more 
popular. This happy solution of the prob- 
lem of amusing the 
little folks has been 
hit upon in more 
cases than one, and 
the enjoyment 
which these little 
houses afford both 
parents and_ chil- 
dren is ample return 
for any trouble that 
may be taken to se- 
cure them. 
At Marblehead 
Neck, Mass., is lo- 
cated one of these 
playhouses which 
is most artistic. It 
is the property of 
Mrs. Frank E. Pea- 
body, and was built 
some years ago for 
her daughter’s use. 
This little cottage is 
situated on the slope 
of a hill not far 
from the main 
house, and its shin- 
gle finish of deep 
red, with white 
window trimmings 
and door, harmon- 
ize well with the 
setting of shrubs 
and vines amid 
which it is placed. 
From a small porch, 
covered with ram- 
bler roses in their 
season, one enters 
the single large 
room which com- 
prises the play- 
house. This room 
is made light and cheery by a great many small casement 
windows which open outward like diminutive glass doors. 
The walls of the room are sheathed in hard wood and 
shellaced. The floor is of hard wood richly polished. Built- 
in shelves and a window-seat, under which may be stored un- 
needed things, are features which add greatly to the con- 
venience of the playhouse. A generous supply of cushions 
grace the window-seat and easy chairs and give a touch 
of color to the furnishings. College banners and posters 
identify this room as a typical girl’s den, and with its simple, 
sensible furniture it is an ideal place for a lark. 
On the playhouse porch 
From an old bathhouse was evolved an interesting play- 
house at Salem, Mass. It is on the water’s edge, and, like 
the other, consists of one large room only. This little house, 
shingled in natural wood with white trimmings, has a broad 
veranda across the front overlooking the water and suggest- 
ing story-books and fancy-work, or afternoon tea parties.. 
Some one cooked on the tiny stove in one corner of the cot- 
tage, and served in 
camp style by the 
enthusiastic young 
folks. An old pi- 
ano, which has out- 
grown its  useful- 
ness in the home, 
does duty for the 
jolly impromptu 
dances which often 
terminate the even- 
ing’s fun. 
In Cohasset are 
two attractive little 
playhouses designed 
for practical use. 
One, the favorite 
retreat of a number 
of boys, is a simple 
little shingle house, 
with porches across 
both front and rear. 
The furnishings are 
just such as a boy 
delights in, for 
there is nothing 
elaborate to be dam- 
aged if the fellows 
‘“‘rough-house”’ it up 
a bit. 
Above the main 
room is a small loft, 
in which the boys’ 
footballs,  boxing- 
gloves, _ tennis- 
raquets and net, 
baseball bats, and 
similar treasures are 
stored when not in 
use. 
The other play- 
house is a most at- 
tractive little four- 
room cottage, fully equipped for housekeeping on a small 
scale. The exterior is shingled, and a latticed porch, with 
built-in seats on either side of the doorway, is on the front 
of the house. Flowers and shrubs surround the playhouse, 
and brackets fastened under the windows support wooden 
boxes filled with flowers and vines. 
On the first floor of the cottage there are three good 
rooms: a living-room, a dining-room, and a kitchen. The 
walls of these rooms are sheathed and the ceiling as well. 
Dainty ruffled curtains of white muslin hang at the windows 
and rugs cover the floors. In the living-room a number of 
