What is a dummy board?

Dummy boards were flat cutouts of people that were painted to resemble other people in a household. It’s believed that they originated in Holland in the 17th century and quickly became a popular item to have in the home. They create the appearance of other people being in a home and are sometimes called silent companions. Their true purpose isn’t entirely understood. Shop a collection of dummy boards from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.

What is a dummy board used for?

No one is entirely sure of the purpose of dummy boards or if there even was one solitary purpose. Dummy boards were wood cutouts of people and displayed in homes. It’s believed they may have been used to make homes feel larger, to ward off loneliness, to thwart burglars or perhaps just for pure folly. Shop a collection of dummy boards from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.

Antique Dummy Boards

Entrance Statue

Miniature Portrait Of A Boy

Angel Candle Holders

Guard Statue

Girl With Basket

Blue Boy And Pink Girl Paintings

Carved Fire Screen

Italian Classical Paintings

Opera or Theatre Hand-Painted on Wood Dummy Boards, 19th Century

$3,400 / set

H 78 in W 26.5 in D 1 in

Opera or Theatre Hand-Painted on Wood Dummy Boards, 19th Century

Located in San Francisco, CA

Large hand-painted on wood figural dummy boards from a theatre or opera production. American, early

Category

19th Century American Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Wood

Pair of Early 19th Century Georgian Pinewood Oil-Painted Dummy Boards

$3,377 / set

H 40.5 in W 19 in D 8 in

Pair of Early 19th Century Georgian Pinewood Oil-Painted Dummy Boards

Located in Chicago, IL

Early 19th Century Georgian Pair of Dummy Boards. Pinewood with oil-painted fine details. Charming

Category

Early 19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Pine, Paint

Rare Pair 18th Century Polychrome Wood Dummy Boards, Chinoiserie

$6,167Sale Price / set|20% Off

H 40.16 in W 13.39 in D 3.94 in

Rare Pair 18th Century Polychrome Wood Dummy Boards, Chinoiserie

Located in Antwerp, BE

“dummy boards” or “silent companions,” dating from the late 18th to early 19th century. The figures

Category

Early 19th Century Spanish Chinoiserie Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Gesso, Wood

Dutch School, circa 1700, Dummy Board Figur, 1700

$2,372

H 39.38 in W 12.6 in D 0.4 in

Dutch School, circa 1700, Dummy Board Figur

Located in brussel, BE

Dummy Boards’ are flat, oil painted figures in trompe l’oeil- often life-sized (sometimes smaller

Category

Early 1700s Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Wood Panel

Fine 19th Century English "Silent Companion" Dummy Board

$4,531

H 40.2 in W 18.1 in D 6.3 in

Fine 19th Century English "Silent Companion" Dummy Board

Located in Lincoln, GB

. While many Victorian dummy boards lean toward a folk-art aesthetic, this specimen is distinguished by

Category

19th Century British Folk Art Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Wood

Recent Sales

Well Painted Dummy Boards

Unavailable

H 0.1 in W 0.1 in D 0.1 in

Well Painted Dummy Boards

Located in Derbyshire, GB

Rare actual pair of well painted standing dummy boards

Category

Mid-19th Century Antique Dummy Boards

Pair of 19th Century English Dummy Boards

Unavailable

H 42 in W 20 in D 9 in

Pair of 19th Century English Dummy Boards

Located in Santa Rosa, CA

Charming pair of 19th century or earlier dummy boards each with an area for weights in the back

Category

19th Century British Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Iron

Kneeling Angels (Flemmish pair of candlesticks)

Unavailable

H 11.25 in W 9.5 in D 4 in

Kneeling Angels (Flemmish pair of candlesticks)

Located in New York, NY

An unusual pair of candle-sticks, the cutout kneeling figures painted in the fashion of dummy

Category

18th Century and Earlier Belgian Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Panel

Pair of Dummy Boards

Sold

H 0.1 in W 0.1 in D 0.1 in

Pair of Dummy Boards

Located in Lincolnshire, GB

A good pair of 19th century painted dummy boards, decoated with soliders in Austrian uniform.

Category

Mid-19th Century Australian Antique Dummy Boards

Two 19th Century Painted Dummy Boards

Sold

H 38 in W 17.5 in

Two 19th Century Painted Dummy Boards

Located in Westwood, NJ

Rare pair of painted Dummy Boards

Category

19th Century Antique Dummy Boards

Pair of 19th Century Dummy Boards

Sold

H 40 in W 22 in D 7 in

Pair of 19th Century Dummy Boards

Located in Westwood, NJ

Pair of continental 19th century dummy boards.

Category

Early 19th Century European Colonial Revival Antique Dummy Boards

Exceptional Pair of Dummy Boards

Sold

H 67 in W 33 in D 6 in

Exceptional Pair of Dummy Boards

Located in Greenwich, CT

Fine and rare pair of 18th Century English dummy boards depicting a Cavalier and his Lady, he with

Category

18th Century English Georgian Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Pine, Paint

English Handcrafted Wooden Folkart Victorian Dummy Boards

Sold

H 38 in W 27 in D 1 in

English Handcrafted Wooden Folkart Victorian Dummy Boards

Located in London, GB

A wonderful set of 3 Victorian handmade dummy boards or companions as they are commonly known

Category

Early 1900s British Victorian Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Oak

Pair of English 1860s Painted Dummy Boards of Boy and Girl in English Costumes

Sold

H 10 in W 20 in L 10 in

Pair of English 1860s Painted Dummy Boards of Boy and Girl in English Costumes

Located in Atlanta, GA

A pair of mid-19th century Victorian dummy boards composed of two life-size flat wooden figures

Category

Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Wood

19th Century English Country House Dummy Boards in the 17th Century Style

Sold

H 40.16 in W 11.82 in D 1.19 in

19th Century English Country House Dummy Boards in the 17th Century Style

Located in Lowestoft, GB

A pair of 17th century style dummy boards, depicting a young boy holding a small lap dog and a girl

Category

Late 19th Century English Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Pine

Pair of 19th Century French Terracotta Entrance Guard Statues

Sold

H 72 in W 22 in D 16 in

Pair of 19th Century French Terracotta Entrance Guard Statues

Located in Essex, MA

--Most Likely Used Like "Dummy Boards" which would give the potential thieves pause into thinking that

Category

19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Terracotta

Fine 19th Century Victorian Country Oak Dresser And Rack

Sold

H 85 in D 21.5 in

Fine 19th Century Victorian Country Oak Dresser And Rack

Located in Debenham, Suffolk

Either Side Of The Doors Being Dummies. Lovely Wide Boards Used For The Back Of The Rack. Slight

Category

19th Century English Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Oak

Pair of English Dummy Boards

Sold

H 43 in W 23.5 in

Pair of English Dummy Boards

Located in Sleepy Hollow, NY

An antique pair of probably English " dummy boards " or summer fireplace inserts. There is plenty

Category

19th Century English Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Wood

Pair of 19th Century Highly Decorative Painted Dummy Boards

Sold

H 45.5 in W 20 in D 6.75 in

Pair of 19th Century Highly Decorative Painted Dummy Boards

Located in Suffolk, GB

A pair of highly decorative 19th century painted pine dummy boards. This pair of dummy boards

Category

Late 19th Century English Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Pine, Paint

Pair of Victorian Painted Figural Dummy Boards, 19th Century

Sold

H 46 in W 12 in

Pair of Victorian Painted Figural Dummy Boards, 19th Century

Located in New York, NY

A Charming Pair of Victorian Carved and Painted Dummy Boards Depicting Children. Ex-collection of

Category

19th Century English Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Wood

Italian 19th c. "dummy board" Woman and children

Sold

H 63 in W 24 in D 1 in

Italian 19th c. "dummy board" Woman and children

By Pedro Lara

Located in Natchez, MS

These "dummy boards" were created to put in the windows of villas to make people from a distance

Category

19th Century Italian Beaux Arts Antique Dummy Boards

Monumental Late 18th C Italian Theatrical Props

Sold

H 90 in W 25 in D 2 in

Monumental Late 18th C Italian Theatrical Props

Located in Charleston, SC

These tall, opposing pair of dummy boards/theater props were created in Italy in the late-18th

Category

1780s Italian Classical Roman Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Linen

People Also Browsed

Library of Antique Leatherbound Books

$3,202 / set

H 61.03 in W 31.5 in D 47.25 in

Library of Antique Leatherbound Books

Located in Brønshøj, DK

This collection consists of 400 antique decorative books, mainly dating from 1850–1950, with most published before 1920. The books are bound in leather, many with fine gold leaf embo...

Category

20th Century Danish Victorian Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Gold Leaf

Mid-19th Century Hand Painted Asian Wallpaper Panels

$7,800 / set

H 66.75 in W 103.5 in D 1.25 in

Mid-19th Century Hand Painted Asian Wallpaper Panels

Located in San Francisco, CA

A set of three mounted hand painted wallpaper panels in simple wood frames. Beautifully and elaborate painted scenes with birds, flowers, butterflies, cats, dogs, squirrels, fruit an...

Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Antique Dummy Boards

Materials

Paper

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Antique Dummy Boards For Sale on 1stDibs

An assortment of antique dummy boards is available at 1stDibs. The range of distinct antique dummy boards — often made from wood, pine and softwood — can elevate any home. Antique dummy boards have long been popular, with older editions for sale from the 19th Century and newer versions made as recently as the 20th Century. Victorian antique dummy boards are consistently popular styles.

How Much are Antique Dummy Boards?

Antique dummy boards can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price at 1stDibs is $3,333, while the lowest priced sells for $1,763 and the highest can go for as much as $9,600.

Questions About Antique Dummy Boards

What is a dummy board?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
Dummy boards were flat cutouts of people that were painted to resemble other people in a household. It’s believed that they originated in Holland in the 17th century and quickly became a popular item to have in the home. They create the appearance of other people being in a home and are sometimes called silent companions. Their true purpose isn’t entirely understood. Shop a collection of dummy boards from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
What is a dummy board used for?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
No one is entirely sure of the purpose of dummy boards or if there even was one solitary purpose. Dummy boards were wood cutouts of people and displayed in homes. It’s believed they may have been used to make homes feel larger, to ward off loneliness, to thwart burglars or perhaps just for pure folly. Shop a collection of dummy boards from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.