History of Louis Vuitton Company
Louis Vuitton initially started his career as a professional packer. Full of creativity and ingenuity, he later created the Louis Vuitton Company in 1854 as a manufacturer of trunks. Vuitton avoided mass machine production and only created high-quality items. The iconic well-known monogram canvas, touting the initials of LV, was later created in 1896 and then championed by his son George Vuitton. This pattern was inspired by oriental details such as rosette’s and quatrefoils and can be repeated infinitely like wallpaper. It was also created with the intention to help prevent counterfeit merchandise. Vuitton was full of ideas for his trunks, the style was equally important to him as its function, and his trunks were designed to be used for a variety of different purposes, with multiple interior arrangements. (Léonforte, Pierre, et al, p. 450).
Appraising a Louis Vuitton Trunk in Miami, FL
I recently was asked to appraise a very large Louis Vuitton trunk at The Deering Estate, the home and estate of Charles Deering. The scope of work was to appraise the trunk at replacement cost for insurance. I heard that a book entitled 100 Legendary Trunks: Louis Vuitton was the end-all regarding the history and identification of early Vuitton trunks. I wasn’t let down. It is an extremely large and visual book, packed with full-page rare images of early and special Vuitton drawings, as well as details of the different materials used in his many ingenious and special trunks. It also contains information on the different persons of importance he designed his trunks for, and much more. This book certainly provided more substance and accuracy to my quest for answers. In order to properly supplement my research, I referenced the book 100 Legendary Trunks: Louis Vuitton, by Pierre Léonforte, and Éric Pujalet-Plaá.
Early Wardrobe Trunk from the Deering Estate Foundation
Image Description (above): Deering Estate Foundation Wardrobe Trunk, circa 1920’s. Serial No. 742068. H. 44 1/2″ x W. 44 1/2″ x D. 21 1/2. Features hardwood canvas-covered case in the iconic monogram pattern of rosettes and quatrefoils. The trunk with brass trim, marked Louis Vuitton, rivets and lock, opening to a leather interior with a side of six graduated drawers with small leather pulls, each marked “L. Vuitton”, the other side with a hinged top lid enclosing the wardrobe compartment. Included are nine original wood hangers and original cheesecloth coverings in the six drawers. The trunk has wood and brass banding supports overall.
Detail of the Deering Estate Foundation’s 1920’s wardrobe trunk.
This particular trunk is very different from the average rectangular shape you normally see. It comes with complete with hangers and drawers and is identified as a “wardrobe trunk”, designed to be a traveling closet, the drawers to be utilized for shirts, shoes, and hats. It is just under 45″ tall, specifically designed to meet certain requirements of American railway companies (Léonforte, Pierre, et al, p. 410).
Dating the Deering Estate Wardrobe Trunk – How do you Date an Early Trunk?
Now that the above trunk’s type and purpose have been identified, it is time to move forward into a determining a date of manufacture. First and foremost when you open a Vuitton trunk, you will notice a label. Labels began to be used on the trunks because it was a useful resource to determine a new style and to identify the retail locations. As such, labels are key items in the vintage trunk dating process. Every Vuitton trunk comes with an official label and a serial number.
An example of some early Louis Vuitton labels, from the book “Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks”
The interior label of the Deering Estate Foundation trunk reads: “Paris, 70 Champs-Élysées; Nice, 4 Jardin Albert 1er; Lille, 34 Rue Faidherbe; London, 149 New Bond St”. These are addresses of the retail stores that sold this trunk and is one of the best indicators of determining its age. By examining the addresses on the label, we know that the Champs-Élysée store listed was established in 1914. This means that we know for sure the trunk dates after that. We also know that Vuitton did not start manufacturing full wardrobe trunks until 1913. In addition, we know the trunk was manufactured pre-1978, due to newer Vuitton store addresses not being listed on the label.
The location of the label on the trunk is also significant. Older trunks will feature their labels on the back panel or center of the lid. After 1900, the labels can be found on the inside corner of the lid as it is seen on the Deering Estate Trunk below. (Léonforte, Pierre, et al p. 449).
Typically the trunk’s sales numbers were inserted into the graphic composition of the label. You can see this trunk’s sales number is stamped above the label, this placement only occurred between the years of 1900-1925 (Léonforte, et all p. 449).
With the above information regarding the serial number location, and the retail locations listed on the label, and the start date of when Vuitton wardrobe trunks began to be produced, we can safely estimate that the Deering Estate Foundation trunk was likely manufactured in the 1920s. In addition to its good condition, it is a beautiful example of early Vuitton wardrobe trunks!
Discovering the Value of a Family-Owned Trunk
Louis Vuitton Hatbox Trunk, featuring the checkerboard Damier pattern, circa late 1800’s or 1920’s
After this appraisal, I was inspired to appraise my own Louis Vuitton trunk that was purchased by my mother at an estate sale in Portland, Oregon around 1952.
My trunk is a different style than the one at the Deering Estate, having a different exterior shape as well as having different interior compartments. It features the checkerboard Damier pattern that Louis Vuitton and his son George Vuitton started implementing in 1888. At this early stage of the checkerboard pattern that my trunk displays, the markings of the House of Louis Vuitton are very discreetly integrated into it. They read “Marque L. Vuitton Deposse” and are featured at slight right angles. (Léonforte, Pierre, et al p. 391).
A comparison of the monogram pattern canvas (top) vs checkerboard pattern canvas (bottom).
The inside of the trunk comprises a shallow removable top shelf and a cage feature. This trunk features a rare, cube-like shape versus the taller steamer trunks. With the aid of 100 Legendary Trunks: Louis Vuitton, I confirmed that my trunk is actually a ladies hatbox since the cage is meant to house accessories.
Louis Vuitton Hatbox Trunk, circa late 1800’s or 1920’s. Open to show interior shelf and ribbon basketry cage.
Hatbox trunks were made in eight sizes and could hold a variety of different hat sizes. The hatbox’s main purpose is to ensure that the many different kinds of ladies hats (rigid, flexible, made of feathers, velvet, etc) are not damaged on arrival at its destination via its unique cage system with ribbons. Louis Vuitton was very passionate on this point, once saying, “Madam, your hats are truly priceless jewels. Put them in a special trunk for protection during your travels.” (Léonforte, Pierre, et al p. 169).
Louis Vuitton Hatbox Trunk, detail of interior cage and lining of the lid.
The frames that come within the trunk are stackable. The ribbons also feature the stamped mark of the House of Vuitton and are attached in a criss-cross pattern to resemble padding. The fabric on the top of the lid is quilted, which keeps the delicate objects inside safe if the trunk is jostled or turned upside down. (Léonforte, Pierre, et al p. 410).
Once opened, there is a large inner white label which features only two stores on it. The label lists “Paris, 1 Rue Scribe, London, 454 Strand.” The sales number (08789) is printed within the label. There is another smaller red label that states the same two cities.
Louis Vuitton labels, featuring the official retail locations at the time of the trunk’s manufacture.
Using the same process as earlier, I researched the labels in order to date the trunk. Due to the labels listing only two early stores, we know that it is older than most trunks. I am unsure why my trunk, in particular, has two labels – one larger and one small.
I know that my trunk is authentic due to it having the Louis Vuitton markings on all of the rivets, straps, handles, and latches. Especially for early trunks, this is an excellent way to prove authenticity. (Léonforte, Pierre, et al p. 455).
Locks and identifying tags, Hatbox Trunk
Another ingenious collaboration between Louis Vuitton and his son George was the single lock system for their trunks, which they invented together in 1886. Louis was so confident in their locks that he had challenged the master escape artist Harry Houdini to attempt to escape from one of his trunks (Léonforte, Pierre, et al p. 454.)
Who was the Previous Owner of your Trunk?
It is possible to try and find who may have owned your trunk previously through the lock ID number. Each lock is placed by the retailer, and has corresponding identification numbers which will match its owner. The hatbox trunk’s lock has the identifying numbers 08589. Each customer was given their own specific lock number. Matching the lock number with the sales number that is listed on its label to an official Louis Vuitton registry would provide you with the correct identity of the owner.
The owner of the trunk is also identified by a monogram, typically placed on the exterior of the trunk. My trunk has the identifying letters M.M.K, large and painted in red. Initials were the main way to personalize your Louis Vuitton trunk and were done post-workshop in the stores by specially trained staff. Red was one of the most popular colors used. Around 1910 a dot between the initials created a standardized dimension of the letters and was implemented as an informal graphic code characteristic of Vuitton. This minor detail can help you date your trunk as well (Léonforte, Pierre, et al p. 450-451).
Women’s Hatbox Trunk, an example of red monogram initials, reads “M.M.K
By studying the labels and identifying the early Louis Vuitton stores listed, confirming the LV markings on the interior of the trunk and the hardware, and by determining the exact kind of trunk and the canvas that covers it, I now a very good idea of the date of my trunk, which is estimated to be between 1888-1900.
Enlist the Services of an Appraiser for the Value
If you have a Louis Vuitton trunk to be valued and appraised for insurance or to sell, please give us a call. They could be more valuable than you may think, depending on previous owners and the condition it is in and the date.
Tara Ana Finley, ISA 305-446-1820
Thanks for reading!
Works Cited:
Léonforte, Pierre, and Éric Pujalet-Plaá. 100 Legendary Trunks: Louis Vuitton. Abrams, 2010.
