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 slim notebook cover or cover for blotting paper made for visitors to the West Coast of Scotland. The cover is made of honey-toned wood with a pronounced and lovely grain. 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 a vignette showing a view of Rothesay as seen from the East. The cover is very slim and probably not for a published book but perhaps designed to hold blotting paper - or little sheets of paper to allow the traveler to take notes.
There are a couple of sheets of antique papers inside, including a couple of lilac ones - as photographed. They are loose and not bound into the book.
The wooden covers of the book are 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. There is one little brown scuff mark to the back cover to the top right, as photographed.
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. FREE POSTAGE
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.