WARDROBE TRUNK, blue, 'The Schmit Trunk Company'.

Large, heavy, rectangular, blue Schmit Trunk Company fitted wardrobe trunk designed to stand vertically, rather than horizontally, on its end. Slightly domed top with damaged raw leather handle in centre. Discoloured, blue painted heavy-duty cardboard(?) outer covering over wooden pine body. Heavy-duty rounded cardboard reinforced edging densely riveted to body. Corroded and worn brassed steel corner bumpers, locking clasps, opening edges and rivets. Rotating hasp lock near top locks both sides together along entire length. Five steel claw-like clasps, two at top and three down front hold halves in place when closed. A manufacturer's rectangular black, gold and red coloured, stamped metal plaque is nailed to the body at the centre top of the right compartment's left side. Its ornate lettering reads: 'Travelwell/ Trunks/ THE SCHMIT TRUNK CO./ MANUFACTURERS/ OSHKOSH, WIS./ USA'. Scribbled on top of right half in faded black texta in large lettering is: 'FRANCIS PERTH'. Remains of 'F' (for Francis) blue Sitmar Line passenger stickers are stuck to the front and rear of the left side. A rectangular paper sticker on the rear side of right side reads: 'LLOYD TRESTINO...N.22336/NAVE B. FRANCIS/ Wanted on Voyage/ Destino / AUCKLAND/Trunk'. Above this is a small rectangular horizontal sticker: 'AUKLAND/LLOYD TRIESTINO'. Remains of nearby larger rectangular blue and red sticker reads: '...BAGGAGE ROOM'. When stood vertically on its end and unlocked, three rear hinges allows it to be opened down the middle to reveal two storage compartments of roughly equal volume. The LEFT COMPARTMENT, for the hanging of clothes, is beige cotton lined. A mid-blue velvet lined, chrome metal strip reinforced hinged lid opens to reveal a textured turquoise and gold fabric two-thirds length protective curtain. This covers seven finished plywood fitted coat hangers suspended at each end from two chromed metal extendable arms fixed at top of back on either side of compartment. Hung clothes are held tightly in place behind a curtain-like hanging blue cotton fabric covered hessian sprung compressor. Tension is maintained by a horizontal chromed metal bar threaded through the bottom of the curtain, suspended from the hessian by springs. The ends of the bar are slotted under tension from the springs into chromed metal hooked racks fixed diagonally on either side of the compartment. A small round nosed fawn fabric covered wooded ironing board is leather strapped to the bottom back of the compartment. A chromed metal bracket for a missing iron is fixed to the inside base. The RIGHT COMPARTMENT is a silver-blue coloured, crystalline textured arabesque patterned america cloth faced pine bank of five cotton fabric lined drawers (top to bottom): 1. shallow with three compartments, 2. large, brass brackets for removable partition (missing), canvas strapping inside, 3. large, canvas strapping inside 4. medium, collapsible hinged back, 5. large, canvas strapping inside. Each has two nickel plated loop handles with art deco-like designed pressed metal back plates. All are removable and locked by central locking bar system activated by lock on front of top drawer.

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History Collection

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