Mauchline Ware are wooden souvenirs manufactured in Scotland, primarily in factories in or near Mauchline and predominantly made of sycamore. The items have various finishes in a large variety of applications. Most Mauchline Ware products have transfers or photographs of popular tourist locations. There were also finishes with tartan, fern and black lacquer.
On offer here is a beautiful little book made for visitors to the West Coast of Scotland. The cover is made of honey-toned wood. It would have been an expensive Victorian souvenir which more wealthy tourists might have purchased on their travels in Scotland.
The front cover of the book has the title on a central lozenge. Around the edges we have little images of places relating to the poet Robert Burns. We have the Cottage where Burns was Born, Alloway Kirk, The Brig O'Doon and the Burns Monument at Dumfries. There is a geometric pattern around the edges and images of thistle. The back cover of the book is blank. The spine is made of a rust coloured waxed textile - there is a little loss to the bottom of it - but there is no major spine losses and the contents are not loose from it.
Inside the wooden covers we have printed photographic images. We have a full page portrait of Burns (after Nasmyth), Burns Cottage, Birthplace of the Poet, Burns Cottage Interior, Auld Brig O'Doon, The Banks and Braes of Bonny Doon, Burns Monument Ayr, The Interior of Burns Monument Ayr, Tam O'Shanter and Souter Johnnie, Alloway Kirk, Ellesland Farm, the House where Burns Died, Dumfries, Burns Mausoleum, Dumfries, The River Ayr, Mauchline Church and Castle, Jolly Beggars Inn, Mauchline, Sandgate and Town Buildings, Ayr, High Street and Wallace Tower, Ayr, Tam O'Shanter in Ayr, The Twa Brigs of Ayr, The Cross Kilmarnock, Duke Street and Corn Exchange Kilmarnock, The Burns Monument, Kilmarnock.
These images are not bound into the book - but form a concertina which folds out, as photographed. All the photos are present and clean. There are no inscriptions or scribbles inside. There is a couple of creases to the ones on the front page (I think in the making or has occured naturally over the last 100 years). But apart from that - just all lovely.
Dimensions: The height of the book is 6 1/4 inches. The width is 5 inches.
The book is in good antique condition with clear images on the lid - nice and clean inside and out - and with a honey-coloured patina to the wood outside. The wood is nice and shiny.
Listed at a fair price, I have taken lots of images for your inspection.
It will be posted to you with Royal Mail Recorded postage - this will be applied to your order at the checkout.
HISTORY: Mauchline Wares are Scottish wooden items which date from about the 1880s - until the 1900s. They are generally wooden souvenirs and giftware - made of fruitwood and decorated with black transfer designs. The scenes are usually of landmarks and popular towns - and spots favoured by tourists. They were very popular in their day and many pieces were exported globally.
The centre of the Mauchline Ware industry is the small village of Mauchline - which is located 11 miles inland from the Scottish coastal resort of Ayr. At its peak over 400 people were involved in the manufacture of these small (but always beautifully made) wooden souvenirs. Similar products were also made in Lanark - but most of the pieces are known by the generic name of Mauchline Ware.