Posted 12 years ago
Gruffalo84
(1 item)
Bought for $40 at a tag sale in Salem, Mass. This is a fairly small cross slat flat top steamer trunk. The dimensions are 27.5" x 14" x 12.5". The interior needs the paper stripped out then... What are people's preferences for re-lining? Wallpaper sounds manageable but how long will it last? I'm considering stripping out the paper then cleaning and staining the wood, maybe not re-lining at all. Thoughts?
It has a great old travel tag from the Dominion Atlantic Railway Steamship line, Long Wharf, Boston, Mass. It looks like that line was running in the early 1900s.
I read that the cross slat design trunks were made between 1880 and 1915. I'm guessing this trunk was made right around the turn of the century but if anyone has other ideas, I'm all ears! I can't seem to find any other markings that would hint at a date. I do love the rosettes on the cross slats. It looks as if the exterior was papered at some point. This paper has these vertical black bars--they are not painted on. It's funky. I'm not sure if it's original or was added later.
I'm a big fan of this trunk. Hope you enjoy as well!
This thing hasn't been refinished at any time, has it? $40? Is that paper or veneer? T-mon, where are you?
My guess is a late 1860 civil war era trunk with paper covering that is original to the trunk. Paper was used at this time because canvas and leather were diverted to the war effort. Someone has coated the trunk with varnish at some later point in order to preserve what was left of the paper. As far as interiors go I usually just take out the old paper and leave the wood. Mostly because the interior does not interest me so much -- I just want it clean and neat. Nice example of this type of trunk. Thanks for the post!
Thanks for the assistance! That's fascinating. That is what it looks like -- and old thin layer of paper that was varnished. I can't tell that anything else on it has been changed except perhaps the interior paper was redone because I'm not sure it looks ~150 yrs old. Thanks--this is so helpful!
I am interested in the absence of the slat clamps. Where are they? T-man has said that the hardware is a good marker of the age. Were there any there that have been lost ? Can you see any mark on the lock? It looks a somewhat like the Eagle Lock Co style. That company began in Terryville CT in the mid 1800's (1854, I believe). and was one of the largest lock manufacturers of the time. If there is a patent mark on it that would give you the earliest possible date of the trunk. I'm also a fan.
To address your question about the lining for the inside. I will leave the lid without a lining unless the wood is too damaged. Just sealed with tung oil and perhaps a bit of stain. It is my preference to line the box with cedar for the asthetic and fragrence and utility for storing blankets if that is what you will use it for. All kinds of possibilities, lots of fun. Enjoy.
The early civil war era trunk did not have slat clamps -- they were held on with rivets and most often ended with beveled ends (although not this one). Slats clamps came into full use a little later on, which distinguishes this trunk as an earlier one.
Sorry all, not a civil war era trunk. This is a common mistake for this style of trunk. This trunk is a paper covered packing trunk, also called packers. It could have been made anytime from 1880 to around 1920. Think of packing trunks as cardboard boxes of their time. They were not travel trunks. They were very inexpensive and simple which is why there is little hardware, no latches, and a cheap stamped steel lock that was used for over 50 years. Also the myth about the paper over leather because of the war is just that, a myth. Paper covered trunks were the entry level trunks for the makers, and were made for over 70 years. While the war did require the use of more leather, remember we had a lot of cows. I have yet to find any hard evidence that the trunk manufacturers were dramatically affected by the war. If they were, then why are most of the Jenny Linds, and other 1860s trunks mostly made of leather? Not everything that sounds right is true.
Oh, also, a cross slat trunk is one where the slats go from front to back. This design was patented by CA Taylor in 1880.
Makes perfect sense to me. Thanks for weighing in! I recently removed the interior paper and stained the wood. It looks great!
Fascinating -- they are similar in style and form to a civil era trunk and I have never heard of a "packing trunk", so this is helpful information for me. Great to hear another opinion about the leather usage during the civil war too. The entry level paper covered trunks does seem to make more sense -- thanks hmsantiquetrunks.com for the information and your wealth of knowledge!
Leather & the Civil War: Lack of cured leather is counted as one of the major causes of the South losing. The even resorted to cotton to make harnesses etc. which wouldn't last or hold up to hauling supplies or artillery. Comes under the heading of interesting but useless information.