Cabinet of Wonders

A collector since his childhood, Gaston-Louis Vuitton (1883–1970) accumulated thousands of objects over his lifetime. His wide interests and voracious curiosity were intimately bound up with the future of the family business and with travel. In addition to forming his own collection of trunks – his primary motivation and the one he announced publicly – Gaston-Louis’s roving eye lit upon rare antique travel articles, locks, hand tools, perfume bottles, tribal arts, walking sticks, vintage children’s toys, books, hotel labels, printed monograms and other typographical rarities. Together they form a rich personal evocation of curiosités industrielles, or curiosities of the trade, as he liked to call them. This collection will capture the imagination of anyone inspired by bizarre and eclectic curiosities, or those with an interest in the cultural taste of someone who lived through the height of the Art Deco period – indeed, someone whose life was defined by the rigours and rewards of world travel.