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was being replaced due to the advent of pho- primarily by salesmen for various product
tography. Studios honed their craft towards demonstrations well into the 20th Century.
providing customers with decorative cutouts of Today, finding, restoring, and repurposing
intricate designs applied to Jenny interiors on vintage travel trunks is popular and fun. Before
either side of the letter pouch. Popular colors getting started, learn to recognize a heavier
included purple, red, pink, and lime green. grade candidate for restoration.

Legacy Trunks Paul is celebrating 40 years in the antiques
By the turn of the century, makers, and trade. He started out by salvaging a family trunk
trunk firms that began in the 1840s, were when he was 9 years old, and today collects
developing new materials. Design changes were Sample trunks and overbuilt industrial age
once again influenced by changes in fashion – examples made from 1880 to 1910 made by east
this time in ladies’ hats, to accommodate the coast legacy trunk firms including Crouch and
larger Edwardian hat. Ladies required a flat Fitzgerald, H C Faber, and Letheroid. He
boxy carrier for multiple hats. recently supplied over 30 19th century trunks to
Trunk makers also began offering commer- an HBO miniseries. Paul specializes in trunk
Belber, dated 1903, “Branded” Sample trunk cial-grade sample trunks with fitted cases and hardware and locks and restoring trunks for
photo: Paul Norton
canvas coverings; circus and theater-quality himself and the public. To contact Paul, you can
more desirable and finely completed by trunks that could withstand rigorous and con- phone and text him at 860-402-4791 or email
accomplished craftsmen. tinual use. Companies began branding their pjnorton2004@yahoo.com
A standard layout included a long narrow products and locks with custom in-house
compartment towards the back of the tray for a hardware to take advantage of this interest in
cane or parasol and a removable, typically 10 x high-end, custom trunks.
12-inch hatbox to keep the hat fresh and acces-
sible for the local rides to the final destination. Trunks for All
Customers could provide trunk makers Some personal use travelers were looking for
with illustrations they wanted to use to lighter items with less reliance on freight com-
decorate their trunks. Trade Cards, Currier and panies. Steamship liner travel saw immigrant,
Ives, and hand-colored Godey fashion prints steerage, and third-class travelers reusing out-
were popular. Selected from a book of trunk of-fashion trunks from an earlier time.
prints, images of sleigh and wagon rides with Most American trunks made after 1900
nostalgic pastoral scenes could also grace interi- were low grade and inexpensive, catering to a
ors. Historically, this practice began during the more economical and student traveler; however,
1840s with stenciled silhouettes of loved ones the heaviest Sample grade trunks were used
applied to interiors. By the 1850s, stencil work Hunting for trunks at Brimfield Markets.
photo: John Hall

May 16-June 2: Online May 22-25: Online June 4: Online
Hake’s Auctions Star Wars Millers Auction Co. 4-Day Breweriana & Heritage Auctions Historical Manuscripts
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May 20-21: Crawfordsville, IN Signature Auction - Part 1
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& More Auction Roan Inc.’s Annual Memorial Day
3097 IN-32 Weekend Auction June 11-12: Online
10am EST 3530 Lycoming Creek Road Heritage Auctions Americana & Political
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May 21: Cranston, RI June 2-3: Online
Bruneau’s Spring Comic, TCG, Toy & Heritage Auctions Space Exploration For updated information, visit
Sports Memorabilia Auction Signature Auction www.journalofantiques.com
63 4th Avenue www.HA.com/6252
10am
401-533-9980, info@bruneauandco.com
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