Antique Edwardian Vintage Luggage Trunk Dress Hat Storage Box Original Key Leather & Brass Details Historical Interest

A superior quality Edwardian hat box with embossed leather & brass details and original key by Best & Co. Mayfair, carefully conserved & hand-finished in our Lincolnshire workshop.

With outstanding preserved vintage luggage labels and original text this classic piece of antique luggage is in excellent condition with incredible provenance and superb historical interest.

FEATURING -

- Waxed black canvas exterior with robust leather reinforced corners, cleaned preserved and wax polished
- Chunky leather central lid handle embossed 'Bests Own Make' in brass keepers embossed with maker's details 'Maker Best 64A S. Audley St. London W'
- Original luggage labels still attached to handle 'From Cox & Kings (Agents Ltd) Kings House, 10 Haymarket London SW1' 'Lord Crichton-Stuart A.D.C to Earl Dalhousie SS Winchester Castle' and 'The Rt Hon The Earl of Dalhousie 23 Down Street London W1'.
- Authentic hand-painted white initials 'M.D.' to lid
- Burnished brasswork with copper rivets including 2 up and over clasps
- Central working brass lock with original key, embossed with maker's details, and brass button escutcheon (push to right side to release mechanism) with matching brass button to locking clasp
- Steel studs to base - 1 at each corner integral to the reinforcings and 1 to the centre
- Original full fabric lined interior cleaned and conserved with authentic removeable hat storage crate in webbing on a wooden frame - intact and well preserved - in great condition for age
- Leather rear lid supports, leather edging trim to body and interior lid sides and steel clips to interior lid, possibly missing a central bar, used to store accessories (gloves and hat pins?)
-Original maker's label to interior F Best & Cos Own Make Aldford Street 64A S Audley St. W. (and crown emblem)
- Authentic vintage shipping labels - Union Castle S (Stateroom), Union Castle Hold Not Wanted On Voyage Name : Lord Crichton-Stuart Vessel : Winchester Castle Port of Destination: Cape Town, Cape Town Union Castle, South African Railways T.1.
- Vintage style paper inventory label.

The heritage finish on this luggage includes discolouration to the canvas in places, some scuffing to the leatherwork, the occasional missing rivet at the corners and the right hand clasp doesn't always stay closed in place when being moved. The webbing on the interior crate has come off the original pins in places, we haven't repaired this but preserved in its original state.

At Vintage Trunks & Chests we have ten years experience curating, restoring & selling antique and vintage trunks & chests. We sell genuine antiques, not imported reproductions!! Working with meticulous attention to detail our restorations are completed using traditional, time-honoured methods and everything is finished in numerous coats of wax polish to naturally enhance, revive & protect the original patina.

PROVENANCE -

Owned and used by either or both Lord Crichton-Stuart & The Rt Hon The Earl of Dalhousie - intriguing characters and families of historical interest.

We believe this piece to be Edwardian and therefore used by Lord Colum Edmund Crichton-Stuart who entered into the diplomatic service nominated an Attaché in 1910, went to Cairo in 1911 and was later appointed an attacheship at the British Consulate-General in Cairo working under Lord Kitchener. Read more about him here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Colum_Crichton-Stuart

We believe the reference A.D.C to signify he was aide-de-camp to Earl Dalhousie on the SS Winchester Castle (a ship built for the Union-Castle Line in 1930). The 14th Earl, Arthur Ramsay, died in 1928 but he was posted to South Africa and served in the Second Boer War which ties in with the older South Africa shipping labels. Read more about him here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Ramsay,_14th_Earl_of_Dalhousie.

So we believe this piece of luggage could have firstly belonged to the 14th Earl before being passed on either to his wife Lady Mary Heathcote-Drummond (Countess of Dalhousie) and used for her own travels, including on the SS Winchester Castle, or by his son John Gilbert Ramsay who became the 15th Earl in 1928 (Read more about him here http://www.thepeerage.com/p1133.htm#c11325.1). We think the initials M.D could stand for the Marquess of Dalhousie or Mary Drummond.

It's a bit of a puzzle to unravel how all the different people mentioned on the labels were involved with this piece of luggage - and we may not be entirely correct - nevertheless it undoubtedly has an absolutely intriguing history!

Condition report:

The heritage finish on this luggage includes discolouration to the canvas in places, some scuffing to the leatherwork, the occasional missing rivet at the corners and the right hand clasp doesn't always stay closed in place when being moved. The webbing on the interior crate has come off the original pins in places, we haven't repaired this but preserved in its original state.

Authentic antique & vintage items, unlike new copies and imported reproduction antiques, have their own quirks & imperfections which gives them character, uniqueness & that 'lived in' quality.. that's what we're all about here at VTC! Our trunks and chests will inevitably show signs of wear & tear commensurate with their age & previous use. This may include: knocks, bumps & dents; scrapes, scuffs & scratches; marks, stains, fading & discolouration; snags, tears, peeling & wrinkling; surface corrosion; exposed fixings; old fixing holes; missing pieces; shrinkage gaps; paint remnants; small repairs; old/treated woodworm; corroded & missing metalwork; sharp edges; newly-fitted & replacement parts including fixtures & fittings. Notable quirks are outlined & the photos are integral to the written description.