![]() However, if you find trunks that have been restored, well-restored pieces are still much more valuable than poorly-restored ones.Ģ) If you’re not looking in person, search for sellers that include photos of all the small details of the trunk. This greatly affects their value and should definitely be taken into consideration when you’re looking to start or expand your collection. Read on for some tips and things to keep in mind while you search!ġ) To be considered antique, trunks must be at least 100 years and cannot have been restored. Since there was such a large production of chests in the past several hundred years that means there are many to be snatched up and put to new use in your home. Nowadays, trunks are more synonymous with chests, as we are more likely to use them as side tables, coffee tables, dressers, benches, cabinets and just general storage units. While we no longer really use trunks as luggage anymore (due in large part to airline restrictions and costs), there is still an innate appreciate for trunks and people have found many useful ways to put them to use in their households. ![]() Definitely one of the fancier varieties, since they mirrored the affluence and wealth of their owners, Saratogas were round topped (how catalogues referred to dome-topped trunks), made of leather, canvas or metal, and were usually decked out with decorative hardware. Saratoga: Saratoga trunks are named after Saratoga, NY, a very popular vacation spot for the wealthy in the 1800s. They were designated for small spaces because, unlike the standard trunk, you could push these flush up against the wall and open the top without having to leave several inches of space for the open top lid. Wall Trunks: These trunks, while very similar-looking to other types, were distinctive in their hinge mechanisms and the manner in which they opened and closed. To use, you stand the trunk up on its end and open it to reveal separated compartments on each side. Travel/Steamer Trunks: Mostly flat tops, these trunks were made and designed for traveling purposes and being places in snug spaces. Looking at it from the side, it resembles an “8” (or a loaf of bread) because it curves inward in the middle, where it latches. for two years, taking with her everywhere a very particular type of trunk. Jenny Lind: This trunk became popular in the 1850s and 60s when famous Swedish singer, Jenny Lind, toured in the U.S. They made for very sturdy construction and were an example of elegant craftsmanship. Slatted Trunks: These are beautiful trunks as they were composed of thin, wooden slats, one placed next to the other. They are also referred to as round top, camel, barrel and humpback trunks, and are frequently made of embossed tin. ![]() They were made out of a mix of materials: wood, leather, canvas, metal detailing, sometimes covered in waterproof fabric.ĭome-Topped: Similar to the flat tops in that the name implies the shape, these trunks had noticeably domed tops and were therefore less used for travel purposes. ![]() embossed tin), and came to have different compartments, drawers, trays and hangers that made them all the more functional.Īlthough trunks were often used by people when they traveled by carriage, they became truly ubiquitous between the 1870s and 1920s, solidifying their position in history and paving the way for our continued interest and their continued use.įlat-Topped: Pretty self-explanatory, these trunks had (mostly) flat tops and were primarily used for travel, as they were easy to stack and store on trains, ships and carriages. Initially composed as just a lockable, wooden box with a paper-lined interior (either decorative paper or something simple like newspaper), trunks soon came to be covered in leather, paper, canvas and some form of metal hardware (e.g. Like many things in the Victoria period, trunks started out with a pretty simplistic design and grew to be much more intricately designed. For this reason, chests can be more ornate, while trunks have a more practical form of decoration. While trunks were mainly used for traveling and transporting possessions from point A to point B, chests are generally considered fixed and permanent pieces of furniture, usually used for storing things such as blankets and assorted bedding. At this point, cross-country railroads were established, as well as inter-continental travel by water, so long-distance traveling was much easier and it was also much easier to transport more of one’s possessions.Īt this point, we should point out the difference between a chest and a trunk. Chests and trunks date back to at least medieval times, but really gained momentum in the Victorian Era, starting around the 1870s. ![]()
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