“Tartanware” is the name given to Scottish souvenirs made of wood and decorated in Scotland’s iconic pattern, tartan plaid. Applied to all manner of small useful objects, including napkin rings, tea caddies, trays, sewing items, stamp boxes, book covers, photo frames and albums, and sometimes even larger items such as small chests of drawers (like here ii Nora Murphy’s Connecticut home ) and waste paper baskets, the delightful plaid pieces are as charming and on-trend today and they were a century ago.

Popular during a period of rediscovery of the beauty of Scotland’s sublime landscapes, a boom in domestic tourism to Scotland facilitated by new railroads built in the 19th century, and Queen Victoria’s love of her Balmoral estate and ‘all things Scottish’, little objects of tartanware be

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