This photograph shows James and Jennie Butcher with several Butcher dollhouses in the Butcher’s basement workshop in their home on 11th Street NW in Washington, D.C. James W. Butcher was an African-American dollhouse maker born and raised in Washington, D.C. Butcher attended M Street High School where his artistic talent flourished in the special classes in clay molding and woodcarving. After graduating in 1893, Butcher worked at the Government Printing Office (GPO) while pursuing a medical degree at Howard University. However, a temporary loss of eyesight forced him to abandon hopes of a medical career. After his retirement from the GPO in 1926 due to a medical condition, Butcher’s wife Jennie encouraged the woodworking hobbies he pursued in the basement workshop. Jennie Butcher became an active partner in the business, designing and creating much of the interior decoration. Butcher-Built dollhouses sold locally at Kann’s, Lansburgh’s, Hecht’s, and Woodward & Lothrop, and at department stores outside the District. Although the Depression slowed sales, Butcher preferred to make only unique dollhouse designs that showcased his craftsmanship, rather than create simpler models for a wider market. The houses were usually Colonial in design, sold fully furnished and with electrical lighting installed. Many were made to order, sometimes scale models for architect, other times as models of the owner’s real residences. Butcher-Built dollhouses and furniture became a respected local family enterprise, which James Butcher maintained until his death in 1950. The DC History Center maintains a Butcher doll house in offsite storage. This photograph is a part of the James W. Butcher papers (MS 0507), which is accessible to researchers at the DC History Center’s Kiplinger Research Library.