This original Victorian De La Rue & Co. Campaign Folding Inkwell is a superb example of high-quality portable writing equipment produced for field, travel and administrative use in the late 19th to early 20th century. Designed for durability and compactness, the inkwell features a cast-iron folding lid stamped RANSOMES PATENT with the additional maker’s stamp “DE LA RUE & Co”, confirming manufacture for one of Britain’s most prestigious stationery and writing-equipment firms.

The inkwell is housed within its original wooden frame, purpose-made to keep the piece secure during transport and to act as a small desk mount when in use. The iron lid opens on a robust hinge — slightly stiff in places, as expected with age — and reveals a fitted glass ink reservoir, typical of De La Rue’s higher-quality portable designs. The rear of the lid is neatly engraved “PUSH”, indicating the direction of operation.

Compact in size at approximately 2 inches square, and just under an inch thick when closed, this is exactly the type of field-ready inkwell carried in campaign chests, dispatch kits, portable writing slopes, and travelling office sets used by officers, engineers, colonial administrators, and commercial travellers. De La Rue produced a range of folding and protective inkwells of this type, but surviving examples with cast-iron lids are notably scarce.

Condition is excellent for age, with no damage to the wooden mount, glass insert, or cast-iron components. The hinge remains fully functional, and the piece displays beautifully both open and closed.

A rare and highly appealing piece of Victorian campaign writing equipment, ideal for collectors of field gear, portable stationery, De La Rue ephemera, and 19th-century travel and military accessories.