Posted 4 years ago
eggsnom90
(1 item)
Any clues? It looks like there's a shipping label from Bremerhaven to NY on Norddeutscher Lloyd and there's a customs number. The blue label inside is for the fabric which comes from Dresden. the little area underneath the white strips unhinges and reveals three pull-out drawers. Let me know if you guys know anything about this type of trunk or the age :) Thanks!
Welcome to CW. There are some serious trunk collectors on this forum and I am sure that someone will help you out.
It appears from the pictures provided to be a canvas Trunk of European origin. The Germans and the Swiss did use that style of brass lock hardware. If the fabric is marked "Dresden" There is a good chance that's where it was made. Having said that , the fabric could have been exported to other places in the region. It was a wonderous industrial city before Allied Bombing turned it to ash in WW2. A Late 1800's canvas packing trunk. The overall construction tells us it's European , double nailed metal banding, 3" wide painted slats on top, large metal handles (I wish the pictures showed more of the handles and hinges ). The tight striped interior linen, A cloth basket tray with brass nails, The( fabric covered )wood interior corners that hold the tray. The weaved ribbon on the drawers. Are all signs of the continent from which it came. It is Tricky because my first glance of the interior said Belgian or possibly French. Thanks for the post.
A Link to Dresden Before WW2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNURoQkEwUs
A Link to Dresden After WW2
https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-dresden-germany-bombing-world-war-ii-2018-2
A link to the long history of shipping company Nordeutscher Lloyd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norddeutscher_Lloyd
Thanks so much @Drill, that information about trunks in general and Dresden in particular is very interesting. I appreciate you sending the links too! I could post more info about the handles/hinges but there's a 4 pic limit. Maybe I could've chosen better. What do you think I should do with it? It doesn't have a good odor and isn't in great shape so I wouldn't necessarily keep it in a room as an accent piece.
Pictures can always be edited or changed on CW, but it's cool if you don't. I have found that dropping a bar of Ivory soap inside my trunks for about a week kills those odors. I had a similar trunk without an interior.I refinished it. Others might just leave it alone. I just think it is a neat find ,that it was made prior to the Dresden Bombing . How many are still around? This trunk could be cleaned up. Incidentally these types of trunks were typically made of Poplar hardwoods. I'll Bet that under that cracked painted canvas there are some wonderful (protected) grain patterns.That wood does finish nicely.The metal could be sanded and painted satin black. The tricky part would be finding the lock hardware. Here's a link to the post on CW of a similar french one that I refinished a few years back ,Much Luck with it.
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/133996-french-trunk-jules-laquerbe-maison-buri
Similar trunk maybe a bit older by Moritz Madler
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1446853445
Thanks for all the advice. I've learned a lot @Drill and you're right, @Im4anythingOld - it looks similar. I just updated the photos with hinge and handle image. One of the hinges is broken but both handles are same.