Chapter 1
The great steamship stack up
Chapter 2
Floating safes and sliding drawers
Chapter 3
The engineering of a mobile palace
Chapter 4
Anatomy of a masterpiece
Ch 4 · Anatomy of a masterpiece
louisvuitton Louis Vuitton Trunk Restoration
We read the serial on the lock (on the lock) / To forge its hundred-year-old key (yeah, its key)
Glossary
poplar (noun)
A tall, fast-growing deciduous tree valued for its lightweight, soft, and flexible wood. In 1858, Louis Vuitton began structuring his revolutionary flat travel cases with aged poplar wood.
A tall, fast-growing deciduous tree valued for its lightweight, soft, and flexible wood. In 1858, Louis Vuitton began structuring his revolutionary flat travel cases with aged poplar wood.
Fun Fact
Aged wood: The poplar wood used in luxury French trunks is dried for four years before construction.
Quiz
Why do professional restorers leave vintage travel decals and luggage labels on antique trunks?
Quiz
Why do luxury French trunk makers prefer 30-year-old poplar wood for their frames?
Quiz
What type of metal is typically used for the tacks, locks, and buckles of high-end antique trunks?
Quiz
For how many years must the wood used in a luxury trunk frame be dried before construction begins?
Quiz
Why did Georges Vuitton create the iconic interlocking LV monogram pattern in 1896?
Quiz
What is lozine, the material used to protect the edges of luxury travel trunks?