The Victorian Steamer Trunks

Photo credit Prochristo via wikipedia commons.

On a Grand Tour, the Victorians would pack all of their belongings into a "steamer trunk" (also called "packers," "flat-tops," or "cabin trunks). They first appeared in the late 1870s -- Jake's time! So while the gang is traveling all over "the Continent" (as Europe, minus England, was traditionally called) visiting amazing sites, you can picture them lugging around a big stack of these travel trunks. Well, they probably had servitors doing all the heavy lifting, but you get the idea. :)

Steamer trunks had either a flat or slightly curved top and were usually covered in canvas, leather, or patterned paper. Just as we have to deal with specific luggage sizes when traveling, the Victorians, if they wanted passage on certain steamships, had to contend with a height regulation of only 14 inches. Yikes! Sounds kind of small. But, keep in mind, in that day, people didn't have as many outfits as we do, and they wore the same clothes many more times than we would consider acceptable before laundering. The Victorians had a different sense of cleanliness then we moderns do. Like Eliza Dolittle told Professor Higgins in MY FAIR LADY, "I washed me face 'n' 'ands before I come, I did!" (And yet, the Victorians were generally cleaner people than in earlier periods! Yikes.)

---