LOUIS VUITTON Large travel trunk Monogrammed with "LV" decorated with florets, wooden core with riveted side handles, marked "rue Scribe Paris Louis VUITTON" address New Bond Street / travel label marked EC The Grand Hôtel Yokohama in Japan. Damage. Numbered inside 120 011 H.: 70cm, W.: 110cm, D.: 60cm This trunk bears all the hallmarks of Vuitton's iconic pieces of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The monogrammed model, launched in 1896, became the symbol of practical, identifiable luxury, aimed at an international clientele that included singer Emma Calvé. The address of the Grand Hôtel de Yokohama, a prestigious establishment frequented by European elites visiting Japan, attests to her world tours and illustrates her status as a cultural ambassador. The "rue Scribe Paris" marking confirms that the company was manufactured before 1914, when the head office was located at this mythical address, a stone's throw from the Opéra Garnier, the natural home of opera artists. Each element - from the interior number to the juxtaposition of London and Paris addresses - tells a story of travel, intercontinental crossings and the practical refinement of the Belle Époque. These trunks, which were ordered with specific features (interior fittings for stage dresses, flasks, sheet music or finery), were often custom-made, sometimes even personalized on the initiative of their owners. In the image of Emma Calvé, these objects combine radiance and intimacy: material witnesses to a nomadic destiny, they are today sought-after for their historical, decorative and heritage value. The Grand Hotel de Yokohama, founded in 1873, was one of the most prestigious hotels in Japan during the Belle Époque. Located on the Bund, facing the port of Yokohama, it embodied Western elegance and catered to a distinguished international clientele. In the years 1900-1910, the hotel offered innovative services for the time, such as printed menus with numbered dishes, enabling customers to order by simply indicating the number of the dish. Sadly, the Grand Hotel was destroyed in the great Kanto earthquake of 1923. It was replaced in 1927 by the New Grand Hotel, which continued the tradition of welcoming international personalities.