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 little darker-toned wooden box - it would have been a sweet little Victorian souvenir that you would have purchased on your travels in Scotland.
This is a little sewing box - for the Victorian lady to keep her thread in. It is made of a darker wood and is in nice clean condition. The box has three holes in the side - where your thread would be dispensed from. Inside you would store three skenes or reels of thread. This would have probably been sold by a haberdashery shop - as it has an old advertisement on the lid interior for Clarke's thread.
The interior is a blue colour - in the base, there is a tiny peg to sit your thread bobbin on - there had originally been another two - but they have gone over the distance of time. These can easily be replaced.
The box has an image on the lid of Edinburgh (looking along Princes Street towards the National Gallery of Scotland and Edinburgh Castle) from the top of Calton Hill. This was a very popular image with Victorian tourists to the city. The image is not so distinct due to the darker tone of the wood. I love the little decorative border around the edge of the lid. It looks much nicer in "real life" than in my photos. I have reduced the price down to reflect the couple of little condition issues with this particular box - it still looks good on display
The box is in fine antique condition with clear images on the lid (there is a little loss to the image, as photographed). The box is nice and clean inside and out - and with a rich dark antique patina to the wood and image on the outside. The wood remains nice and shiny. The lid lifts off.
Measurements: The lid diameter is 7.8 cm. The base diameter is 7 cm and the height is 5 cm. A fine Victorian souvenir item. Listed at a fair price, given the popular subject matter and its condition. I have taken lots of images for your inspection.
It will cost £4.95 to post them to you in the UK 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.