Rare Victorian Tartan Ware Sewing Reel Box Commemorating The Duke of Edinburgh's Marriage

This rare and beautiful tartanware box was made circa 1875 to commemorate Prince Alfred the Duke of Edinburgh’s marriage to Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (1874).

After Prince Albert purchased Balmoral in 1852, a revival of the Scottish Highlands craze swept Victorian Britain, sparking a new craze among domestic tourists. Among the souvenir items available back then was tartanware, which was produced in the Scottish town of Mauchline during the 19th century.

Local sycamore trees were used to make small wooden “treen” everyday objects, then tartan paper would be applied (i.e. “transferred”) and heavily varnished. 

Tartanware was continuously popular up until 1933, when production ceased due to a factory fire. However, these charming antique pieces remain en vogue even in the present.

This particular piece was a thread holder and sewing reel box; the small holes on the side would be used to keep the thread ends separate from each other. Crisp tartan pattern inlay in the Stuart clan pattern.

Price marked at $480 AUD. (We have found only one other example online, which is priced at £325 excluding shipping and VAT)

Measurements: 6cm height, 10 diameter. 

Good antique condition with some wear as pictured commensurate with age; clearly a treasured piece that has seen little to minimal use. Beautifully done with fittings and contents intact and the faces of the couple are clearly distinct.