Edwardian Clark & Co Mauchline-Type Transfer Cotton Reel Box with Reels

An attractive Edwardian Clark & Co cotton reel box, dating to circa 1900–1915, featuring a transfer-decorated wooden lid in the Mauchline ware tradition. The octagonal wooden box has a hinged lid and retains its original printed interior paper label reading “Clark &Co’s Extra Quality – Is the Best for Hand or Machine Sewing”, complete with anchor trademark and Paisley reference.

The lid is decorated with a printed paper transfer depicting a marine still-life of shells and seaweed, sealed beneath a varnished finish, consistent with Mauchline-type production rather than hand painting. The interior is textured blue and finished with a gilt decorative band around the upper inner edge. The box is fitted with turned wooden pegs designed to hold cotton reels, arranged around a central circular recess originally intended to accommodate a small pin cushion or needle holder.

The underside retains its original textured paper covering with a stock or reference mark. The box is accompanied by a selection of original wooden cotton reels, including Clark’s and other period manufacturers, enhancing both authenticity and display appeal. A desirable early 20th-century sewing accessory combining advertising, function and decorative craftsmanship, well suited to collectors of Mauchline ware, sewing ephemera and haberdashery antiques.