Jean Smythe Del Sordo gave this haunted house dollhouse to her father as a kit for a retirement gift. To both their delight, it ignited a hobby Del Sordo has continued. (Photo courtesy Jean Smythe Del Sordo)
Jean Smythe Del Sordo, longtime director of the Dorchester County Public Library, began her love affair with dollhouses as a youngster as actual child’s play, courtesy of her mom’s gift of a Renwall tiny home with mini plastic furnishings, as well as Barbie.
But it was her dad who led her back as an adult.
After retiring from a career as one of Philadelphia’s leading builders, Jean’s dad, Thomas Smythe, craved a creative downtime outlet. Happening to spot a haunted house dollhouse kit, Del Sordo gifted it to her dad, to his and her delight.
“He took to it like water!” she recalled. Complete with suitably creepy decor, the house includes plastic skeleton figurines and dead flower vases filled with dried grape stems.
His next project, which he gifted to her, was a redesigned Santa’s workshop.
The homes also kindled a new hobby for Del Sordo, delightfully scouring yard and estate sales for eclectic miniatures to populate individual room scenes she began devising for almost any vacant space, including the top of the fridge.
After taking a water color painting class at the Dorchester Center for the Arts, Del Sordo has been inspired to create miniature framed masterpieces for current and future tableaus.
