"When that 'little black dress' is not enough ... SHANGRILA!"
LOUIS VUITTON - F W VANDERBILT TRUNK
The name Vanderbilt (originally van der Bilt) was prominent throughout most of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This was largely due to the family's wealth and the importance of its members in the transportation industry. Transportation was also an important link to the Vanderbilt interest in the trunks produced by Louis Vuitton, since Vuitton had invented the first flat topped trunks, which could be stacked easily. That innovation does not seem revolutionary now, but at the time when Louis Vuitton started his business, all trunks had been dome topped.
Frederick W. Vanderbilt (1856-1938) was the third son of William Henry Vanderbilt and the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, patriarch of the Vanderbilt dynasty. VANDERBILT MANSION National Historic Site, at Hyde Park, NY, is a monument to an era. It is a magnificent example of the palatial estates developed by financiers and industrialists in the period between the Civil War and World War I - a time when the United States surged into world prominence as an industrial nation and the new age of machines created great wealth that was almost untouched by taxation.
Shangri-La owns a huge Louis Vuitton trunk, measuring 48" wide, 25" deep, and 28" high, from the late 19th century. It is also one of the early LV trunks, originally owned by Frederick W. Vanderbilt. This trunk spent most of it's existence at the Vanderbilt mansion in Hyde Park, NY. This trunk is a piece of history owned by one of the most prominent American industrialist's of the early 1900's. Of course this trunk saw much travel before it found a home in Shangri-La.
The Vanderbilts often spent March and April at Palm Beach, Fla. There the Vanderbilts cruised their yacht in southern waters. For variety they sometimes leased a West Coast estate, the family made the round trip with this trunk in their private railroad car. The Vanderbilts returned to Hyde Park about Easter, remaining until shortly after the Fourth of July. Between then and Labor Day, they usually went to one of the several summer mansions. The first of these was Rough Point, at Newport, R.I. They also had a retreat called their Japanese Camp on Upper St. Regis Lake in the Adirondacks; built by 15 "expert mechanics" from Japan. From 1913 until Mrs. Vanderbilt's death in 1926, they went to Cornfield, a residence at Bar Harbor, Maine. Some summers were spent in Europe. The Vanderbilts crossed the Atlantic on an ocean liner, having sent the yacht on ahead. Then they would pick up the yacht and cruise along the coast of Europe or in the Mediterranean. In his later years, Vanderbilt spent much of his time at Hyde Park, but would make occasional summer trips on his yacht.
After many years of use, the Vanderbilt's gave this trunk to their head housekeeper at Hyde Park, Beatrice Farley. When first acquired, this trunk was full of Vanderbilt family household items, such as table linens, napkins, table runners, lace pillows, etc. Most of those items carried the F.W. Vanderbilt monogram. Also in the trunk were personal items of Beatrice Farley, such as her head maid uniforms, and aprons. The trunk was purchased at auction from the Farley estate by Lorrie A. Place, 5 Lincoln Avenue, Highland, NY 12528 and sold to Shangri-La Gifts of Ithaca and Cortland. From time to time we will be placing more vintage Louis Vuitton classics from the Shangri-La collection for your enjoyment.
