NY Building with Christmas Tree, Putz Houses by Jason Sargenti 2018

Orange building with Christmas tree by Jason Sargenti, 2018. Putz House with light-hole for Christmas lights and delicately textured in sparkling snowy super vibrant color pigments. 

House: Width 1.8" x Height 2.5" x Depth 2.25"

Box: Width 4.5" x Height 2.8" x Depth 3" 

This house is inspired by "my apartment house in Troy, NY. I gave a version to our landlord as a Christmas gift, they were nice. The house was used by HBO in the 2022 series The Gilded Age." J Sargenti.

Inspired by the American tradition of Putz Houses, popular from the 1930s to the 1970s, these tiny buildings harken back to the era when department stores showcased sets of miniature paper houses illuminated with tiny lights, creating charming villages.

Rooted in Christian and German European customs, the term "Putz" means to decorate or organize. Families would arrange these little houses around their nativity scenes to make it look like their own village. Initially originating in Europe, Putz Houses found their way to America through merchants. During World War I, when trade with European manufacturers ceased, American production adapted and reinvented the concept.

Facing a surging demand, American manufacturers outsourced production to Japan, where the innovative idea of folded paper emerged, making these decorations more affordable and easier to mass-produce.