Some Special Antique Trunks

Personal Trunks of Isaac Libbey

Isaac Libbey was a trunk and chest maker in the mid 1800s. His shop was in Rochester, NH, on the road to Great Falls (now Somersworth). He also had a general store and taught school part time. His house and the shed where he made his trunks and had his general store are still standing in Rochester.

(Thanks very much to the Rochester, NH Historical Society for this information and photos)

Private Trunk of Isaac Libbey, New Hampshire Trunk Maker, Top/Front View
Isaac Libbey's personal trunk, note the initials on top

Private Trunk of Isaac Libbey, New Hampshire Trunk Maker, Inside View
Interior of trunk

Another Private Trunk of Isaac Libbey, New Hampshire Trunk Maker, Top/Front View
Hide-covered trunk made and used by Isaac Libbey

Another Private Trunk of Isaac Libbey, New Hampshire Trunk Maker, Some Of Mr. Libbery's Tools
Some of Isaac Libbey's tools

Trunk Maker Label of Isaac Libbey, New Hampshire Trunk Maker
Label from an Isaac Libbey document case in our own collection.

Oshkosh Wardrobe Trunk used by Bela Lugosi while Touring

Personal Trunk of Bela Lugosi
Oshkosh wardrobe trunk used by Bela Lugosi


End view	Lock and Oshkosh logo

Bela Lugosi

This trunk was horror star Bela Lugosi's personal wardrobe trunk which he used while traveling abroad performing "Dracula" on stage. The trunk is now in a private collection.

H. M. Barnum (Daughter of P. T. Barnum)

Helen Maria Barnum, second of four daughters of P. T. and Charity Barnum, was born April 18, 1840. She married Samuel Hurd when she was 17. Hurd later became the assistant manager and treasurer of his father-in-law's famous circus. The trunk below once belonged to Helen Barnum. It originally had a leather covering. Note her name stenciled on one end of the trunk. Note too the cast latches, handle loops and other hardware. The trunk is now in a private collection.

Antique Trunk That Once Belonged to H. M. (Daughter of P. T.) Barnum, Front View

Antique Trunk That Once Belonged to H. M. (Daughter of P. T.) Barnum, Name Stencil

Antique Trunk That Once Belonged to H. M. (Daughter of P. T.) Barnum, Trim

Rufus Henry Pope Esq. MP

When we found this little trunk not far from the US/Canadian border we immediately fell in love with it. We were told it was from Canada so we guessed that the "MP" by the name on the label stood either for Member of Parliament or Mounted Police (too old for Military Police). We had no idea how much of its history we would later find. A quick search online and we found the following:

Rufus Henry Pope took the place of his father, John Henry Pope, in the Canadian Parliament upon his father's death in 1889. The younger Pope served until 1905. He was named a Senator in 1911. Both men belonged to the Conservative Party for Compton County, Quebec. Rufus H. Pope died in 1944 and is buried in the Cookshire Anglican Cemetery.

The trunk sold from our Trunk Barn before we could offer it online. It is now in a private collection.

The photos below show the trunk after we restored it.

John Henry Pope, Esq, Canadian MP, Private Trunk, Front View

John Henry Pope, Esq, Canadian MP, Private Trunk Left End Showing Nametag

John Henry Pope, Esq, Canadian MP, Private Trunk, Nametag

Lottie Deno

Lottie Deno, known by many aliases but christened Carlotta J. Thompkins (1844-1934) was a famous lady gambler known to Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. She was the real life model for Miss Kitty in the TV series, Gunsmoke. The sole leather trunk below belonged to the lady gambler. The trunk is now in the Frontier Times Museum at Bandera, TX. http://www.frontiertimesmuseum.org

Where There's a Will, There's a Way!

We just sold this trunk as is and we're going to miss it. Friends of ours brought it from HAWAII a few years ago as LUGGAGE on an AIRLINER! On their way to the airport they bought it from a little girl by the side of a road who needed to sell it. Their luggage went inside the trunk. It will now be acting as a photo prop. It measures 37" long x 22" deep x 24" tall and weighs about 40 lbs.