IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PORTMANTEAUS AND TRAVELLING TRUNKS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
PRATT, of New Bond Street, in the Parish of Saint George, Hanover Square,
in the County of Middlesex, Camp Equipage Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Ninth day of July, in the fourteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Pratt, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Henry Pratt, my exors, adññors, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said Henry Pratt, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PORTMANTEAUS
AND TRAVELLING TRUNKS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Henry Pratt, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same
to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will inore. fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Pratt, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Portmanteaus and
Travelling Trunks" has for its object a more convenient and useful arrange-
ment or combination of the several parts of a portmanteau or travelling trunk
than is usually found in these articles.
in
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn several views of the way
which I propose to effect the above object. Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal
vertical section of a portmanteau or travelling trunk constructed according to
my improvements. Fig. 2 is a similar view, shewing some of the parts drawn
out, and in a different position to that represented in the preceding Figure.
Fig. 3 is an end view of the portmanteau, and Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view
of the same. The body or fixed frame of the portmanteau or trunk is seen at
a, a. The top of the portmanteau is divided into two parts, which form
separate boxes or compartments 6 and 6*, and being jointed in the middle at c
to the centro upright of the frame, either of these boxes or compartments
can be opened, as shown in the Figures, without interfering with the other.
Beneath one of the boxes b is a hat case d, which, however, is moveable, and
when removed leaves an open space or compartment of convenient size for the
reception of various articles. A similar vacant space is made at e beneath the
other top compartment 6*. The two compartments & and e are divided from
each other by a fixed central partition f; which, however, may be hinged at
bottom, and therefore made moveable so as to fall down and throw the two
compartments into one, if required, as shown by dots in Fig. 1. One of the
ends g of the portmanteau is also hinged at bottom, and is secured to the lower
part of the framing, and when open, as shewn at Fig. 2, gives access to two
drawers h and h*, which extend from end to end of the portmanteau beneath
the compartments & and e. The upper drawer is shallower than the other,
and is intended to hold shirts and other flat articles which are liable to become
crumpled in the more confined and shorter compartments above. The lower
drawer his intended to receive coats, trowsers, and other outer garments,
and is therefore made deeper than the upper one. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal
vertical section of a modification of the above, and in which both the ends
g and g of the portmanteau are moveable, and are made to fall down when
required, as shewn by dots in the Figure. By this arrangement the drawers

page_text: may be made to pull out at either end. A short drawer is also placed in one
of the upper compartments d or e, and when such is the case the central
partition is fixed. In constructing this portmanteau it will be found con-
venient to make the ends g, g*, and the bottom, of one piece of leather, as
shewn in the Drawing. The top may also be made of one piece. In
constructing a lady's portmanteau or travelling wardrobe a similar arrange-
ment is adopted, the principal difference being that the front of the wardrobe
falls down in place of one or both ends, as already described. The drawers, of
course, instead of being long and narrow, as in the former instance, are as
wide as the wardrobe is long. The separate compartments & and e, as shewn
in the former Figures, are dispensed with, and form one large compartment
for the reception of bonnets, caps, and other light articles. In the lady's
portmanteau, the top part, although divided into two compartments, is not
jointed transversely across the middle, as in the other instance, but is divided
lengthwise, so as to form two long compartments the length of the portinanteau,
instead of two nearly square ones, as in the gentleman's portmanteau. I
would here remark that the ends of the gentleman's portmanteau and the
two sides of the lady's portmanteau are held up in a vertical position by
means of a brass clip or clasp j, j (as shewn in the Drawings), so as to
prevent the said ends from falling down when the lid or top part is lifted up to
get at any of the upper compartments. The handles whereby the port-
manteau is lifted are not affixed directly to the portmanteau itself, but are
attached, as seen at i, i, to a strap k, k, which is secured in the middle at / to
the iron centre bar of the framing. This strap k is furnished at each end
with a strong buckle, which is held down by a strap m (as shewn in Fig. 5.)
This strap may either consist of one long piece of leather passed under the
portmanteau, or it may be made of two pieces, which are separately secured
to the bottom of the portmanteau. Additional handles are or may be attached,
if required, to the sides of the article (as shewn in Figures 3', 4, and 5).
Having now described my Invention, and the best means with which I am
at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would observe, in
conclusion, that the portmanteaus, travelling trunks, or wardrobes above
described may be made, not only of leather and iron, but of various other
materials, such as raper, mill board, wood, oil cloth, and other suitable
materials. I do not therefore intend myself to any particular materials; nor do
I intend to claim as of my Invention any of the parts herein described when
taken separately, as they may have been heretofore used for similar purposes;
but that which I consider to be new, and therefore wish to claim as the
Invention secured to me by the berein-before in part recited Letters l'atent,

page_text: is, constructing portmanteaus or travelling trunks or wardrobes with double
lids jointed in the middle, and made to open from opposite ends or sides, such
portmanteaus or travelling trunks having separate compartments and drawers
in which various descriptions of articles and wearing apparel may be placed,
and kept separate from each other, as above set forth. I also claim attaching
the handles to straps, as above described, instead of to the portmanteau itself,
as is usually the case.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Pratt, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.