A superb Louis Vuitton half steamer trunk in the house's celebrated monogram canvas, retaining its original interior fittings in remarkable condition. The flat-top form — an innovation pioneered by Vuitton in the late nineteenth century to facilitate the efficient stacking of luggage aboard rail carriages and ocean liners — is executed with characteristic precision, the exterior clad in signature brown monogram canvas with contrasting lozine trim, brass-studded leather border, and original brass corner mounts.
The central lock plate, engraved with the serial number 057178 and bearing the dual-address legend 70 Champs-Élysées, Paris / 149 New Bond Street, London, secures with the house's proprietary "B.S.G.L.G. Patent" latch mechanism. The stamped brass studs, each bearing the Louis Vuitton logo, are present throughout.
The interior is in exceptional original condition, retaining the full woven linen tray — designed to organize and protect the traveler's belongings during extended voyages — set beneath a quilted, cream-linen lid lining. The interior paper label, serial number 768526, lists the house's principal retail addresses: Paris, London, Nice, and Lille, and confirms a production date consistent with the early 1920s, following Louis Vuitton's establishment at 70 Champs-Élysées.
The half steamer format — purpose-built to slide beneath the berth of an ocean liner cabin — represents one of Vuitton's most practical and enduring innovations, conceived for the golden age of transatlantic travel. Examples retaining their original interior fittings in this condition are increasingly rare. This trunk would serve equally well as a refined decorative object or a collector's centerpiece.
Dimensions: 30 in. wide × 20 in. deep × 23 in. tall (76 × 51 × 58 cm)
LITERATURE Pierre Léonforte, Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury, Paris, 2004. Florence Müller, Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks, New York, 2010. Paul-Gérard Pasols, Louis Vuitton: La Malle aux Trésors, Paris, 2005
A superb Louis Vuitton half steamer trunk in the house's celebrated monogram canvas, retaining its original interior fittings in remarkable condition. The flat-top form — an innovation pioneered by Vuitton in the late nineteenth century to facilitate the efficient stacking of luggage aboard rail carriages and ocean liners — is executed with characteristic precision, the exterior clad in signature brown monogram canvas with contrasting lozine trim, brass-studded leather border, and original brass corner mounts.
The central lock plate, engraved with the serial number 057178 and bearing the dual-address legend 70 Champs-Élysées, Paris / 149 New Bond Street, London, secures with the house's proprietary "B.S.G.L.G. Patent" latch mechanism. The stamped brass studs, each bearing the Louis Vuitton logo, are present throughout.
The interior is in exceptional original condition, retaining the full woven linen tray — designed to organize and protect the traveler's belongings during extended voyages — set beneath a quilted, cream-linen lid lining. The interior paper label, serial number 768526, lists the house's principal retail addresses: Paris, London, Nice, and Lille, and confirms a production date consistent with the early 1920s, following Louis Vuitton's establishment at 70 Champs-Élysées.
The half steamer format — purpose-built to slide beneath the berth of an ocean liner cabin — represents one of Vuitton's most practical and enduring innovations, conceived for the golden age of transatlantic travel. Examples retaining their original interior fittings in this condition are increasingly rare. This trunk would serve equally well as a refined decorative object or a collector's centerpiece.
Dimensions: 30 in. wide × 20 in. deep × 23 in. tall (76 × 51 × 58 cm)
LITERATURE Pierre Léonforte, Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury, Paris, 2004. Florence Müller, Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks, New York, 2010. Paul-Gérard Pasols, Louis Vuitton: La Malle aux Trésors, Paris, 2005
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