Antique Larne Stranraer Steamboat Co Printed Handkerchief Framed 1870s-80s For Sale

A Precisely Datable Piece of Irish Sea History

The Larne and Stranraer Steamboat Company was formed in the early 1870s by Antrim industrialist James Chaine, who rebuilt Larne harbour and launched the company\'s first vessel, the paddle steamer Princess Louise, on the inaugural Larne–Stranraer crossing on 1 July 1872, cutting the journey to just two hours and forty minutes. A second vessel, the Princess Beatrice, was added in 1875, built by Harland & Wolff of Belfast. Crucially, this company operated independently under its own name only until 1885, when the route passed to a new joint operating committee formed by several railway companies — meaning any handkerchief bearing this exact company name can be dated with real confidence to that narrow 1872–1885 window, making it a meaningfully rarer and more precisely datable survival than later ephemera from the route\'s long-running successor operators (which include the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Committee, LMS, British Railways, Sealink, and eventually Stena Line).

Framing

The handkerchief is presented under glass in a gilt-edged brown wood frame with a wide protective mat, offering good ongoing protection from UV exposure and handling. Overall frame dimensions are approximately 23 1/4 by 18 1/4 inches, with a mat aperture of approximately 17 by 11 1/4 inches showcasing the full printed design and border.