by Padruig » Thu Oct 06, 2016 7:54 am
Likly Label Likly Wardrobe Trunk A
Elke, Henry Likly was established in 1844, but began making the wardrobe trunks around 1900 and by 1910 had several models of the wardrobe trunks, mostly made with canvas or leather covering. By the 1920's most of the wardrobe trunks were made with vulcanized fiber covering such as your trunk. Vulcanized fiber is a hard heat treated fiber material that was made into sheets for trunk covering, and made in a variety of colors. It was stronger and more flexible than leather and much cheaper also. They continued making these into the 1940's and the style of hardware including the drawbolt type latches are from the 1930's to early 1950's. Based on the date of the use in Nov. 49, I would say it is most likely that your trunk was made in the mid to late 1940's and possibly purchased for the trip on the Queen Mary. The Henry Likly company used the same trademark label for many years. Many of these large wardrobe trunks were used on ship voyages to Europe and other locations. The wardrobe trunks were made by many U.S. trunk companies and for many years, so most models are not rare. Most people are beginning to find new ways to use these in their homes or in stores for display purposes. I hope this information is helpful.
Marvin ThisOldTrunk.com