Trunks and Steamers by Zina Abbott

 This is a continuation of the series on early luggage. You may find my first post titled “Carpetbags and Portmanteaus” written in March, 2024, by clicking HERE

Luggage in the mid-to-late nineteenth century meant some form of travel trunk. They were most commonly used for extended periods away from home or long trips abroad. Trunks, with their more rugged construction designed to hold up during travel, are different from lighter-weight chests, which were intended for storage.

Travel trunks were large and cumbersome boxes which, even when they were empty, could weigh more than a hundred pounds. Anyone wealthy enough to travel hired servants to move and load these trunks. Porters and bellhops bore the burden of moving them while travelers were in route. 

1890s trunk converts to a dresser

In the nineteenth century, trunks were often crafted with the best materials and designed to withstand the harsh conditions of early modes of travel. Steamships and stagecoaches were the main method of transport at the earlier time, followed by railroad. Trunks had to be exceptionally sturdy and heavy to withstand their journeys. They were decorated with leather and fine upholstery, cross sections and slates of painted wood, and heavy duty metal, such as brass, hinges and clasps, and leather coverings to resemble the style of furniture at the time. They often included personal inscriptions and manufacturer’s details.

Hat Box Trunk

However, all these materials that made trunks durable also made them heavy. Many trunks were so heavy and bulky that, in many cases, those traveling by stagecoach were usually not allowed to load their trunks onto the stagecoach. Stagecoach passengers with trunks were often were required to make arrangements with a freighting company to transport the trunks and steamers separately. That was why many such travelers also carried necessary items in a carpetbag or portmanteau, which could be loaded onto a stagecoach.

Long-distance travel, especially before the days of the railroads, was usually an involved process. In instances where an individual or family emigrated across the ocean to a new country, they brought everything of value packed in their trunks.

Saratoga Trunk

Most early trunks were designed with a rounded or dome-shaped top—probably for stability and durability to withstand other heavy items being piled on top. Trunk styles including barrel-tops and Saratoga steamer trunks, often included elaborate tray systems for transporting and storing a full range of items.

There were many styles of trunks such as, Jenny Lind, Saratoga, monitor, steamer or cabin, barrel-staves, octagon or bevel-top, wardrobe, dome-top, barrel-top, wall trunks, and full dresser trunks. These differing styles often only lasted for a decade or two.

Steamers differed from other trunks in order to comply with steamship regulations. Typically, they were fourteen inches tall with flat to slightly rounded tops so they could be tightly stacked within the ship’s berth during transport.

Top quality steamer trunks designed for travel on steamships were made of wood and leather. They often had a heavy iron base to prevent the trunk from being crushed while sliding around among other heavy trunks. They were also covered in canvas, leather, patterned paper, and often tree sap to make them as waterproof as possible as a protection against leaky ships.

Cabin Trunk

Cabin trunks were smaller versions of steamer trunks. Designed with low profile tops to fit under seats, they were considered the carry-on luggage of the time. 

Cabin trunks often included several compartments to store valuables that would otherwise be kept in the main luggage hold and subject to theft or damage.

One producer of high-end luggage was Louis Vuitton of Paris, France. He made a name for himself in the mid-1850s by introducing his slat trunk, considered a pioneering design. Although he died in 1892, his trunks are considered valuable collectors’ items.

Louis Vuitton steamer trunk

His trunks were covered in canvas sheathing, held well-designed drawers and had a flat top that made stacking much easier. This was a departure from the typical travel trunks of the day, which had rounded tops.

Seward Trunk Company factory in Petersburg, Virginia

Seward Trunk Company was founded in 1878 in Petersburg, Virginia. It was once the largest manufacturer of steamers, trunks, footlockers, and other luggage in the United States. The original company has gone through a few buyouts and consolidations. The original factory was put on the National Register of Historic Places, but it burned to the ground in 2018.

The use of classic trunks for luggage was widespread through the first two decades of the twentieth century but began to fade in popularity thereafter in favor of the modern suitcase.

Footlockers were a form of trunk used by the military. I still have my father’s old footlocker from his years in the Army Air Corps/U.S. Air Force. Although lighter weight than the old heavy wooden trunks of the nineteenth century, I would not want to carry it far. It is quite a departure from the old knapsacks and haversacks carried by soldiers in the nineteenth century, which I featured last month. You may find that post by clicking HERE

 

I first wrote about travel trunks in Jocelyn's Wedding Dilemma, my book in The Matchmaker and the Mother-in-Law series. To find the book description and purchase options for both ebook and paperback, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

My heroine in Florence's Good Deed also traveled. Although she only carried a carpetbag, her beautiful cover shows several examples of early luggage. To find the book description and purchase options for both ebook and paperback, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trunk_(luggage)

https://theoldtimey.com/vintage-luggage-trunks-hat-boxes-early-suitcases/

https://www.foxnews.com/travel/the-history-of-luggage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Vuitton_%28designer%29

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seward_Trunk_Co

TRAVEL ON THE CONCORD STAGECOACH

By Caroline Clemmons

When my husband and I lived in Parker County, Texas, we sometimes went to events at the Doss Heritage Center in Weatherford. There, a skillful reproduction of a stagecoach was on exhibit, donated by the late Mr. Brown, a man who painstakingly built them for Hollywood and other customers. It’s a beautiful stage with red body and yellow wheels.

The only stage in which I’ve actually ridden was a less impressive reproduction with only two seats. It was fun, but the ride lasted no longer than five or ten minutes. Traveling for very long in such a vehicle would be uncomfortable and onerous.

The stagecoach I use most in my writing is the nine-person Concord stage. Actually, these varied from six-person to special twelve-person models. Another six passengers could ride on top. If you think this would be a heavy vehicle, you’re correct. They could weigh over 2500 pounds and could stand over nine feet tall. The passengers on the back and front seats had the advantage of a backrest, but contended with a sloping roof overhead. The center seat had no backrest. Passengers kept their balance by grasping a wide leather harness suspended across the interior ceiling. Don’t you know that was tiring on a long journey? If the stage was full, passengers were forced to sit with knees touching or interwoven those of the person across from them. In case there was a steep hill or mountain pass, the passengers could be required to walk to the top.

So far in my books, the stage is empty enough that the heroine can bring her trunks—or at least one trunk. In reality, this is where I’ve taken poetic license. Most times, the only luggage space is in the boot on the back of the stage (no room for trunks) and a box under the driver’s seat for valuables. You can imagine with nine interior passengers and six on top of the coach, there was little room for anyone’s luggage. Trunks would have to be shipped via a freighter.

A reproduction used by a private venue.

We’re familiar with weight limits in modern air travel. That’s not new—stage travel had similar rules. Each stagecoach passenger was allowed a maximum of twenty-five pounds of baggage, which rode in the large rear pouch boot. The U.S. mail typically rode in the front or rear boot, although, as Mark Twain recalled from personal experience in Roughing It (1872), a large load of mail might be shoved among the feet of passengers.  The stage line depended on funds for transporting the mail.

Mark Twain, the author and humorist, described his coach trip west in the 1870 book ROUGHING IT:

“Our coach was a great swinging and swaying stage, of the most sumptuous description – an imposing cradle on wheels. It was drawn by six handsome horses, and by the side of the driver sat the ‘conductor,’ the legitimate captain of the craft; for it was his business to take charge and care of the mails, baggage, express matter, and passengers. We sat on the back seat, inside. About all the rest of the coach was full of mail bags – for we had three days’ delayed mails with us… We changed horses every ten miles, all day long, and fairly flew over the hard, level road.”

The cost was between $1,000 and $1,500 apiece, a lavish sum when a worker considered a dollar a day a good wage. Think about a bachelor sending for a mail order bride at these fares! Abbot-Downing’s biggest customer was Wells, Fargo & Co., although institutions such as hotels would buy a coach to carry guests back and forth from a railroad station.

Concord coaches’ style of suspension and construction was particularly suited to North America’s nineteenth century roads. They were first developed by coachbuilder J. Stephen Abbot and wheelwright Lewis Downing of Concord, New Hampshire. Their high-end expense was justified by their long service life.

The reason a Concord coach was more comfortable was the suspension system. Leather thoroughbraces suspended passengers who were in constant motion while the coach was moving. The swaying was accepted by passengers for the shock absorbing action of the leather straps and for the way the special motion eases the coach over rough patches of roadway. That doesn’t mean they were comfortable, just not as uncomfortable as other types. The swaying caused motion sickness for some.

The back wheels have brake blocks acting on the iron tires. The driver controls them with a foot lever to his right at the side of his footboard.

The familiar egg-shaped body of the Concord coach was renowned for its great strength and its ability to keep passengers dry while floating them across flood-swollen streams. Because the inevitable twisting of the coach body on the rough terrain could easily shatter glass windows, it had only adjustable leather curtains to keep out the dust, wind, and rain. 

Wish you could go back in time? 

Picture yourself riding in a stage across the rough roads that existed in, for example, 1870. You’re sitting with your knees pressed against those of the person facing you. If that person is tall, you may have to weave your knees indelicately. If you’re unlucky enough to be on the middle seat, you’re hanging onto the leather strap connected to the roof. Your feet are resting on a pile of mail as you sway back and forth with the coach’s movements. You’re traveling the 2795 miles from St. Louis to San Francisco over three weeks in these conditions. Food isn’t included, so you have the cost of sixty-three meals to add to your fare--if the opportunity to eat presents itself. Doesn't sound like fun, does it?

Louis McLane, onetime head of Wells, Fargo and Company, wrote to his wife in 1865 about artistic depictions of travel by coach, "I thought staging looked very well to the lithographer, but was the devil in reality." 

A great video on stagecoaches is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYgo2FsZdFU

Next month my post will be about other types of stagecoaches, especially the celerity. 

Have a great month! 

 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagecoach

https://concordhistoricalsociety.org/the-concord-coach/  

https://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/technology/technology-terms-and-concepts/stagecoach

https://concordhistoricalsociety.org/the-concord-coach/   

Eating Out in the 1850s

In my latest Sweet, Historical, Western Romance (A Bride for Alastair), my characters are returning to Boston after an extended stay in Missouri. They, of course, hadn’t left any food supplies in the house, except a few dried goods like tea, as they weren’t sure how long they’d be away. In those days, although the arrival of the rails had greatly sped up travel times, it still took at least a week to make the trip one way. But that doesn’t change the fact that you gotta eat.

Interestingly, the word restaurant, from a French word, only applied to eating establishments serving French cuisine. Most famous in the East is Delmonico’s in New York which opened in the 1830s. But aptly named “eating houses” also existed, besides saloons, as well as street vendors. The further West one travelled, the more people had to rely on eating “out” as fewer people had homes. By the time one got as far as San Francisco, nearly everyone ate in restaurants most of the time as so many were living in tents or hovels. This led to cooks coming from all over the world and created a diverse eating experience. The first three Chinese restaurants in the United States were opened in San Francisco in the 1850s.

Hotels served food, of course, to their patrons. In order to protect respectable woman from unwanted advances, a separate dining space in large hotels called a ladies’ ordinary was set aside for families or ladies travelling alone. At this time, women were not permitted to dine alone or unaccompanied by a male escort in restaurants and the public rooms of luxury, urban hotels. A ladies’ ordinary provided a socially acceptable venue where respectable women could dine alone or with other women.

I find this hard to believe as I don’t like them, but in the mid 19^th century, one of the most common dishes ordered at any eating establishment was oysters. From my research, it seems like all across the country they were very popular. I can’t imagine them being very good in the middle of the country, but I suppose near the coasts they would be fresh enough.

One thing I found fascinating, because “respectable” women didn’t usually eat in restaurants, a solution had to be found as the nation prospered - wealthy women could work up an appetite while out shopping. Thus the ice cream saloon came about. These decadent eateries allowed women to dine alone without putting their bodies or reputations at risk. The first ones served little more than ice cream, pastries, and oysters, but as women became more comfortable with eating out, these establishments expanded into opulent, full-service restaurants with sophisticated menus. Although ice cream saloons or parlors had an air of dainty domesticity, they also developed more sultry reputations. At the time, they were one of the few places where both men and women could go unchaperoned. As a result, they became popular destinations for dates and other illicit rendezvous.

The research I had done for my book centered around Boston, so I’ve found researching this article absolutely fascinating. I think some of these tidbits are going to have to turn up in future books <grin>.

Secrets divide them. Could love build a bridge to help them overcome their deceptions?

Jane was full of resentment and fear when the man she had married by proxy came to collect her. She resented the circumstances that required her to marry and was afraid of being tied to a stranger, especially a stranger she had to keep secrets from.

Alastair Fredericksburg, Fred to his friends, had arranged successful proxy marriages for a few of his friends but still had mixed feelings about marriage due to his sister’s unhappy union. He was understandably hesitant when his friends Ella and Carter McLain contacted him requesting that he arrange a marriage for their friend, Jane.

When a sudden inheritance that would solve many of his sister’s problems is dependent on his marriage, Fred can’t decide if it’s the Devil or Providence watching out for him. Since Carter had already sent Jane’s proxy, Fred quickly signs and registers their marriage. After making sure his sister was secure, Fred boarded the westbound train to claim his wife.

Jane was certain it was only the sweet wine they had been drinking that had caused her to agree to Ella’s rash suggestion. She had failed to tell Ella of the secrets that made her an ineligible match for Alastair Fredericksburg. Would she be able to keep her secrets from her new husband? And could they ever be happy while divided by deception?

Available from Amazon. Free with your KU subscription.

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Miss Lotta -- San Francisco's Favorite

By Paisley Kirkpatrick

The miners in the Sierra of Northern California were used to the loneliness, dirt, and disappointments that came with the search for Gold. Gold of another sort appeared in 1853 to ease this routine and her name was Lotta Crabtree. From her beginning as a six year old until her retirement at the age of 45, she became one of the wealthiest and most beloved American entertainers of the late 19th century.

The tiny, red-haired, six-year-old jigged and danced to their clapping hands, while they showered her with nuggets and coins which her mother hastily collected in her apron.

Born Charlotte Mignon Crabtree in 1847 in New York City to John Ashworth Crabtree, a bookseller and Mary Ann (Livesey) Crabtree, an upholsterer, both of English stock, Like so many others, her father dreamed of finding a fortune in the gold fields in California. They packed up and left New York in 1851.

Lotta's exposure to the life of the theater and its inhabitants started early while they resided in San Francisco. She began traveling to mining camps where she became famous for singing ballads and dancing for the miners. The family moved back to San Francisco In 1856. Lotta started touring the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. She added a banjo to her repertoire and frequently performed in the city’s variety halls and various amusement parks. By 1859 she became known as Miss Lotta, the San Francisco Favorite.

Occasionally Lotta suffered from stage fright. Her mother, who once performed on the stage, coaxed her out of her fear. Mary Ann wasn't only a typical stage mother, but also a shrewd business woman. Because she didn't trust banks nor paper money, Mary Ann carried all of Lotta’s earnings -- consisting of gold nuggets and coins -- in a large leather grip. When this became too heavy, she transferred the earnings to a steamer trunk.

Considering how vast the amount of money and other valuables they carried around, it's amazing they were never robbed.