Mauchline Ware

Scottish Souvenir Wood ware is known as Mauchline Ware because the vast majority of these small wooden items bearing pictures designed to appeal to 19th Century tourists were made in the Ayrshire town of Mauchline. The industry flourished in Scotland for 160 years and during that period hundreds of thousands of high quality wood ware souvenirs were despatched to all parts of the British Isles, Europe, North and South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
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Scottish Souvenir Wood ware is known as Mauchline Ware because the vast majority of these small wooden items bearing pictures designed to appeal to 19th Century tourists were made in the Ayrshire town of Mauchline. The industry flourished in Scotland for 160 years and during that period hundreds of thousands of high quality wood ware souvenirs were despatched to all parts of the British Isles, Europe, North and South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Mauchline Ware originated in the late 18th century, during the years of the fashion for snuff-taking. Snuff 'sneezing' had surpassed tobacco smoking as a popular and sociable custom, being adopted by rich and poor, men and women alike. Snuff in its most basic form is dried and ground tobacco leaves. Many varieties of snuff were produced using different ingredients and processes, but its qualities could only be preserved in an airtight container. Snuff boxes came in many shapes and sizes and many materials, such as gold, silver, tortoiseshell, horn, wood, and papier-mâché. There were very few wooden ones which could keep snuff fresh. Towards the end of the 18th century the perfecting of the integral wooden hinge led to a new type of handmade wooden snuff box becoming the most popular of a range of small wooden articles made as souvenirs of Scotland. The wooden hinge was perfected by James Sandy a bedridden mechanical genius who lived in Alyth, Perthshire. Charles Stiven, a joiner, backed by Lord Gardenstone, a commercially minded high court judge, set up a wooden hinge snuff box making business about 1783 in nearby Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire. Gardenstone saw ways of expanding the market and hired a continental artist, Vincent Brixhe who had experience in hand painting lacquered wood boxes at Spa in Belgium. Stiven launched a new range of integral wooden hinged snuff boxes with handpainted scenes associated with Robert Burns, portraits, hunting, well known beauty spots, mixed woods or places of historical importance. This new range was an immediate success. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were among the new customers and Charles Stiven and Sons were awarded the Royal Warrant in 1849.

By the middle of the 19th century the habit of snuff-taking was in decline having been overtaken by tobacco smoking. Stiven and Sons diversified and added tartan and other finishes but their hand made products could not compete with the very competitive souvenir wood ware industry now flourishing in the West of Scotland and ceased trading in 1868. The first commercialisation was in the East of Scotland but its development into a worldwide industry came from the West. In 1807 Sir Alexander Boswell, poet son of James Boswell the biographer of  Samuel Johnson, was entertaining at his Adam designed family seat, Auchinleck House, Cumnock. One of his guests had broken the integral wooden hinge of his Laurencekirk snuff box. It was sent to a local gunsmith called Wylie, whose employee Crawford repaired the box and in doing so, unearthed the secret of the wooden hinge. Crawford set up a wooden hinged snuff box business in Cumnock. Others followed and by the 1820s there were over 60 boxmakers in Scotland with about 50 of them in the Ayrshire villages of Auchinleck, Cumnock, New Cumnock, Ochiltree, Catrine and Mauchline. These boxmakers employed artists and three became very famous painters - William Leighton Leitch,  Horatio McCulloch and Daniel Macnee. Boxes were decorated in Indian ink or coloured paints the most popular being  Robert Burns scenes, landscapes, well-known buildings, hunting scenes, risqué cartoons, classical figures and portraits. The businesses thrived for many years but, like the East of Scotland, were affected by the tobacco trade and, with three exceptions had closed by the 1870s. These exceptions were all Mauchline firms, John Davidson and Sons, Wilson and Amphlet and W&A Smith. All three businesses had begun in the first quarter of the 19th century with the manufacturing of wooden hinged snuff boxes and like their competitors diversified into checker and  tartan ware. W&A Smith were also renowned for French polished wooden cased razor straps, first produced in 1810.

The Smiths expanded into England and opened a warehouse/showroom at Birmingham in 1829. In 1832 they had received the Royal Warrant from King William IV and although snuff-taking was declining they introduced Damascene and Scotto- Russian Niello finishes. These techniques used ornamental patterns or gold foil on black or blue enamelled varnish and Smith's were awarded a gold medal for these upmarket snuff boxes at the London Great Exhibition of 1851.

Davidson, Wilson and Amphlet followed the Smiths to Birmingham in the 1850s. Next, the firms mechanised and extended the range of wood ware by using the technique of transfer prints depicting places associated with Robert Burns and quotations from his works on many of their wares. This new range also catered for the Victorians' preference for useful souvenirs and included cigar cases, money boxes, stamp boxes, napkin rings, books of all kinds, toys and a wide range of needlework, stationery, domestic and cosmetic items. An incredible range of boxes in every conceivable size and shape was also introduced. The vast range of goods in tartan or with Burns scenes was tremendously successful and sent to all parts of the British Isles as well as overseas. The wood used was mainly sycamore and frequently the origin was specified i.e. made of wood which grew on the banks of Doon. The industrial revolution allowed the middle classes to go on holiday by rail and the range of products was further extended to transfer scenes of holiday resorts, pretty landscapes and notable buildings in the British Isles. Smith's in particular, recognised there was an export market and produced views of France, Belgium, North and South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The souvenirs sold in hundreds of thousands and the second half of the 19th century was the boom time for Mauchline Ware. W & A Smith at their peak employed over 400 people and was the largest employer in Ayrshire. Davidson, Wilson and Amphlet, based at what is now the curling stone factory in Mauchline, employed 300 people, 200 being boys working at home applying up to 36 coats of varnish over several days. Archibald Brown founded the Caledonian Box Works at New Lanark in 1866 and concentrated on applying photographs as well as transfer scenes and making advertising novelties for the very thriving thread and ribbon industry.

The Mauchline firms also added photographs and advertising novelties to their range. These new product lines with advertisements were sold in very large numbers to thread manufacturers including Coats, Clarks, Ashworths, Chadwick, Medlock, and M.E.Q. An advertisement would be displayed inside the lid or on the base and the box filled with reels of thread. The Later Years New products such as  Fern Ware, Black Lacquer Ware, Seaweed Ware, Floral Ware and other colourful finishes were introduced in the 1870s as mass produced glass and porcelain products became available. In the 1880s the souvenir wood ware industry started to decline. Smaller thread companies were absorbed by the larger ones and German-made imitation Mauchline Ware had flooded the market, undercutting the Scottish manufacturers. With the tougher competition W&A Smith took over their competitors Wilson and Amphlet in 1884 and Davidsons ceased trading in 1889.

The New Lanark firm, now Mackenzie and Meikle closed down in 1906 but Smiths, with about 25 employees, continued with established lines. They also produced a range of undecorated white wood ware for use in Poker Work classes and craft work. This DIY range was supplied to Harrods, other London stores, the craft supplier Dryad and for use in schools. Children's wheelbarrows and small items of furniture, like stools, tables and cake stands, were added to the range and were made until 1933 when a fire partially destroyed the factory. The firm finally closed at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. The site of the factory, known locally as the "Boxworks", is now, ironically, Mauchline fire station. What was the showroom and office is now occupied by a retail outlet. Mauchline was a focal point of a flourishing wood ware industry for 130 years. During that time the Smiths in particular, produced quality products, showed ingenuity in manufacture and enterprise, innovation and skill in marketing. Their achievements were remarkable and it is easy to see why now Scottish Souvenir Wood ware is known generically as Mauchline Ware. The vast range of attractive designs and finishes are now highly collectable worldwide.

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Mauchline Ware Napkin Rings
These napkin rings are decorated with images of Millport on Great Cumbrae, which was a popular touri
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Wigtown Martyrs commemorative sewing box
Rectangular wooden sewing box.  The lid is decorated with a floral pattern and an oval photograph of
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Wooden Mauchline Ware Bookmark Case
This is a typical Mauchline ware souvenir, decorated to be attractive to Victorian visitors to Kirkc
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Steel Transfer Plate for Mauchline Ware
In producing Mauchline Ware, the wooden object was first treated with two or three coats of shellac.
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Black Lacquer Ware Card Box
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Transfer Ware Box (2)
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Transfer Ware Vase
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Robert Burns Transfer Ware Box
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Transfer Ware Napkin Rings
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Transfer Ware Box (1)
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Transfer Ware Box
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Transfer Ware Ash Tray
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Black Lacquer Ware Souvenir Box
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Transfer Ware
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Photographic Ware Letter Rack
Photographic ware tended to show local scenes and appealed to visitors as souvenirs. This letter rac
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Photographic Ware Book Cover
The photograph on the cover of this volume of Robert Burns's Complete works is of Duke Street in Kil
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Mauchline ware needle book covers (1)
This pair of wooden book boards would have been used as the front and back covers of a needle book. 
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The House in Which the Poet Burns Died 21st July 1796
A sepia pen and ink drawing by William L Leitch.  At this time Leitch was under contract to Andrew S
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The House in Dumfries in which Burns Died
This carte de visite style card is from a series of drawings used on W & A Smiths mauchline ware
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Mauchline ware pin cushion
Small circular wooden pin cushion comprised of two curved discs, with a band of velvet running throu
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Mauchline ware needle case
Small circular wooden canister used for keeping needles.  On the front there is a large oval sepia p
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Mauchline ware egg timer
Small hour glass egg timer containing grains of red sand, mounted in a wooden frame.  On one end of
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Mauchline ware money box (1)
Money box in the form of a mantlepiece clock.  It is rectangular shaped with a money slot on the top
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Mauchline ware money box
Barrel shaped wooden box with push on lid featuring a slot for money.  The black transfer print on t
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Mauchline ware trinket box (2)
Small rectangular wooden trinket box with domed lid.  Features several black transfer prints depicti
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Mauchline ware trinket box (1)
Small rectangular wooden trinket box.  Features several black transfer prints depicting rural border
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Mauchline ware trinket box
Small rectangular wooden trinket box with push on lid.  The black transfer print depicts a busy harb
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The Poetical Works of Robert Burns
Souvenir pocket book of Burns' poems with mauchline ware front and back covers.  The front cover bea
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Songs of Robert Burns
This pocket book of Burns' songs has mauchline ware front and back covers.  On the front there is a
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Mauchline ware casket
This wooden box in the shape of a casket features a large oval sepia photograph on the lid, depictin
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Mauchline ware box
Large mauchline ware box produced as a souvenir to celebrate the International Exhibition of Industr
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Mauchline ware needle book covers
This pair of wooden book boards would have been used as the front and back covers of a needle book.
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Mauchline ware pill box
This pill box was made from a piece of wood that was cut by Jean Armour Burns from the bed in which
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