Mauchline ware box

This box was 'Made of Wood Which Grew Near Alloway Kirk'.  It is decorated with three black transfer prints.  The lid illustrates the birthplace of Robert Burns at Alloway while the front has images of Alloway Kirk and the Burns Monument at Alloway.   Throughout the 19th century the cult of Burns rose to huge proportions.  Images derived from his life and work, and of the poet himself were frequently used in domestic ornamentation and were to be found in most Scottish homes.  W and A Smith of Mauchline, Ayrshire developed the manufacture of transfer printed treen, or wooden ware which became highly popular as gifts and souvenirs.