Name/Title
Traveling TrunkContext
This round-top oak and leather trunk with brass trim has a Houston Trunk Factory label on the interior of the lid. The wooden trays are covered in canvas which remains in decent condition in some areas. The trunk also features bands of colored printed paper pasted over the canvas.
The trunk was manufactured at the Houston Trunk Factory building at 84 Main Street in Houston, Texas (present day Rusk and Main). This two-story building was demolished in 1927 to make way for the iconic 37-story Gulf Building, the tallest building in the South at the time.
Do you know why the trunk has a round top? Besides being aesthetically pleasing, the round top made it more likely that your trunk would end up on top in a baggage hold that, on a ship, might have water sloshing on the floor.
This trunk was gifted to the Museum by the Wilkerson and Hutcheson Estates. You can see all of the artifacts in our collection Wed-Sun 11-4pm.Acquisition
Accession
1973.01Source or Donor
Wilkerson and Hutcheson Estates,Acquisition Method
Gift