To understand the history of Louis Vuitton , Goyard , Moynat and Hermès luxury trunks from the end of the 19th century, we must understand the history of the old chests which led man to create these refined objects.
The history of chests goes back to the beginning of human history on the 7 continents, it is the first piece of furniture made by man.
Furniture for storing personal effects. In the shape of a box that opens by lifting the lid.
It can have handles on the side, a latch or a lock but it is not an obligation.
Often made of solid wood (oak, walnut, or other local wood).
Although it can be moved, it is not intended for travel , this is not its primary function.
On November 4, 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter made an extraordinary discovery in the Valley of the Kings:
Tutankhamun's tomb .
A set of domed, flat and pyramidal top chests will be discovered.
Photo taken during the opening
from Tutankhamun's tomb
November 1922
How not to see a resemblance
with a modern Louis Vuitton trunk with leather or lozine trim.
Around 1327 BC
Tutankhamun treasure chest
ivory silver and gold wood
.
Around 1327 BC
Chest of funerary furniture in painted wood representing the victories of Pharaoh over the enemies of Egypt - Tutankhamun
61cm x 43cm x 44 cm.
Iron and bronze chest where valuable family heirlooms were kept. This safe was usually located in the atrium. It was a way to show the wealth of the family to own such a safe.
Around 100 BC
Pompeii
Wood covered with iron and bronze
89 x 106 x 60 cm
Around 1236
Chest of Saint Louis
Medieval period
champlevé enamel
Louvre Museum Paris
The assembly of 6 cm thick oak planks was reinforced by the wrought iron hinges.
The feet are used to isolate the furniture from the ground.
Around 1300
Hinge chest
Oak and wrought iron
Missing center lock
89 cm x 165 cm x 79 cm
Museum of decorative arts Paris
Around 1480
Curved lid chest
Wood, leather, iron, paint
Dimensions 54 x 92 x 66
Cluny Museum Paris
Sideboard carved with motifs inspired by Gothic architecture .
As far as possible, we should avoid carrying such a chest , devoid of handles and nicely sculpted and therefore fragile.
Around 1450
Sideboard , walnut
Fenaille museum, Rodez
Directly derived from the safe, the first so - called " Nuremberg " safesappeared at the beginning of the 17th century, this piece of furniture used toprotect valuables from theft.
Entirely made of iron. The key in the center of the cover activates a complications lock occupying the entire surface of the back of this cover.
Around 1600
Safe
Green lacquered metal
false lock entry on the front
Top opening activating six bolts
Origin Germany
Around 1640
Mazarin's chest
Beginning of the Edo era
Cedar covered with lacquer and gold
Dimension: 64 x 144 x 73 cm
The golden chest called Anne of Austria, has long been considered one of the French masterpieces. It is also one of the centerpieces of the old royal collections still preserved. Delivered to Louis XIV in the spring of 1676 “to enclose all the adornments”, that is to say the gems with which the king's court costumes were studded.
Unique testimony to the know-how of Parisian goldsmiths.
Around 1675
Chest known as Anne of Austria
Wooden structure covered with gold.
Red satin interior
Dimension 22 x 45 x 34 cm
Indian art is a great finesse. This type of chest, also called a small Indo-Portuguese cabinet made in India (Gujarat and Sind), reproduces western shapes. They were adopted by the Mughal courts to store jewelry.
Around 1680
ivory carved in ebony
North West India
Louvre Museum
Department of Islamic Arts
Trunk for transporting postal mail
Around 1700
Mailbox
Discovered in 2017 with its contents
wood, leather, fabric
England
The word safe is then given to the item attached to a horse-drawn carriage.
During the Middle Ages , it was necessary to move frequently in emergencyfor political or economic reasons and the safe offered the advantage of containing many objects : removable beds, hangings, tapestries, clothes, precious objects.
In addition to storage, this type of furniture had several other functions : one could sit there, sleep there or have meals there. The chest is therefore the oldest "multifunction" piece of furniture, from which the cabinets will be derived.
Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV.
Coach trunk with slightly domed front and lid adorned with brass studdedleather forming a flower pattern.
Around 1750
Trunk of the Marquise de Pompadour coach
studded leather-wrapped wood
Dimensions: 56 x 113 x 58 cm
Trunk :
Light wooden luggage, covered with interior and exterior canvas . Equipped with a lock and clasps. The trunk has a handle on each side for easy loading and handling.
Suitcase :
With the same function as the trunk, which is smaller, it only has one handle.
The history of trunks is closely linked to horse-drawn carriage travel (animal traction car)
It was not until 1780 to see the first passenger transport companies appear, but they were reserved for an elite. The vastness of the spaces of North America popularized the stagecoaches of various companies, the most famous being the Wells Fargo founded in 1852.
The domed trunk meets this new need for travel.
Unlike the trunk, its purpose is no longer to be a piece of furniture in the house but to be used exclusively to move personal effects during trips.
Placed on the roofs of cars, the first domed trunks must now be light and waterproof to protect their contents from bad weather.
Since the trunks are not protected from the weather, the cover is curved in both directions so that the rain can flow from both sides.
The vault also increases the strength of the lid, as does a bridge or barrel (wine cask).
The luxury houses Louis Vuitton and Goyard produced domed trunks.
Louis Vuitton
Around 1860
Trianon canvas, wood, tin, paper
Curved trunk covered with long-haired skin.
Can be covered with goat skin, wild boar or other game to protect the contents from bad weather. Rural manufacturing.
Around 1850
Wood, goatskin, steel
The American trunk is a sturdy trunk fitted with ornate decorative iron fittings .
Often covered with embossed metal strip.
Around 1870
Trunk trunk
wood and metal
Dimension 75 x 71 x 50 cm
from America
Invented in England, the basket trunk (basket) has a wicker structure allowing a significant weight gain, it is covered with tar canvas.
The English trunk is lighter and less expensive than wood.
Around 1873
Moynat trunk
Waterproof black canvas
breastplate border and cowl lock cover
2 wicker chassis
1860 start of a new era
It's a revolution , flat trunks adapt to the mode of transport. More light , less bulky , they can be stacked in the wagon trains and bilge liners.
They gradually make the curved trunks disappear .
D ' origin all trunks travel are covered , to protect the contents from dust, insect and moisture.
There is therefore no curved or flat trunk made of raw wood.
Many trunks have
distorted by removing the original canvas
to leave the wood visible
Around 1870 Louis Vuitton, Goyard and Moynat understood that it was necessary to create trunks that were both innovative, organized, light and aesthetic.
Arranging as a showcase highlighting French know-how, nothing is too beautiful, it is the beginning of luxury trunks.
At the end of the 19th century, automobiles did not fit into their storage body. The car chassis was bought on its own and then entrusted to a coachbuilder, the upholstery to a saddler ... the trunks for their part were entrusted to the trunk maker.
The words: Chest and Trunk
Will last on modern cars.
The camphor wood chest is essential for the conservation of furs , the peculiar smell persists for several years. This insect repellant repels moths. Assembly of solid wood planks with dovetail , brass corners and hinges.
Some call it "naval officer's chests" but this name is fanciful.
Around 1940
The camphor wood chest
Dimension: 41 x 95 x 45
The circled trunk is a cheap trunk , produced until the 1970s.
Beech wood slats.
Around 1900 the first vulcanized fiber trunks appeared . Maison Louis Vuitton will make this material famous with its trade name: Lozine. Which it will use mainly to protect the edges of the luggage, replacing leather and metal.
The other manufacturers will manufacture luggage entirely with this material.
Old trunk covered with parchment
Military trunk to store and deliver ammunition, weapons of war and other living on the battlefield.
Around 1914
World War 1 military trunk
painted wood and metal
Dimension: 58 x 22 x 22 cm
From 1936 and the first paid holidays in France, the production of luggage with cardboard structure exploded, in order to reduce the cost of production and satisfy a wider clientele wishing to go on vacation.
Even Louis Vuitton will do it at the end of the 1950s, with its Stratos suitcase, then Satellite produced until 2000.
The Moynat story begins in 1849 and quickly became famous
thanks to his creations for the automotive world.
The Louis Vuitton story begins in 1854, exclusive wrapper for Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III.
Retrospective des premières malles bombées : french page
