Antique Paton’s Linen Thread Wooden Shop Display Box Johnstone Scotland

A wonderful antique wooden haberdashery box made for Paton’s 3 Cord Linen Thread of Johnstone Mills, Johnstone, Scotland.

The hinged lid carries a superb original printed advertising label for “Paton’s 3 Cord Linen Thread – For Hand & Machine Sewing”, illustrated with a detailed view of the extensive Johnstone Mills and advertising the thread at one penny per reel.

The wonderfully decorative label promotes Paton’s pure flax linen thread for strong household sewing, lace making, crochet and other fancy work. An additional example of the same colourful advertising label is mounted to the inside of the lid, making the box particularly attractive when displayed open.

Internally the box is divided into six long compartments, originally designed for organising and presenting reels of Paton’s linen thread in a haberdashery or draper’s shop.

The combination of the wooden shop fitting, original advertising and detailed depiction of the Scottish mill makes this a lovely surviving piece of textile and retail history. It would make an excellent display piece for a collection of antique haberdashery, sewing advertising or vintage shop fittings and could also be used to display a collection of cotton reels and sewing notions.