Carnavalet Museum

Located in the Marais district, the Carnavalet Museum played host to the Voyage en Capitale Louis Vuitton & Paris Exhibition from October 13, 2010 until February 27, 2011. The lives of the Louis Vuitton founder and subsequent successors is well documented through displays of luggage and trunks from each time period as well as both handwritten documents and publications published about their products.

Accompanying the majestic line of world re-known, one of a kind pieces of luggage were fantastic displays of poster art from the same time period. We were banned from taking photos of any kind inside the exhibit, but let me assure you that what you will see on this tour is nothing short of eye candy for both the novice traveler and the jet-setting crowd. The Vuitton line is so dominating that I am unaware of any other line of trunks that compare or would be worthy of being in an exhibition of any kind. Iconic yes, understated yes, unparalleled yes…

Poster art from the exhibition

Among the most beautiful pieces were small carry case trunks that contained complete tea sets for picnics on the road to ones that contained hair brushes, combs and perfume bottles of all types and sizes. There were enormous trunks that turned into desks, ones that housed entire collections of shoes and ones that contained an entire house full of fine china. Lest you think that paying large sums of money assures one has good taste, in addition to the amazingly beautiful pieces there were a few “tacky” ones on display. I was not a huge fan of the Barbie trunk or the Medical trunk with skulls painted on them because they seem like a waste, but who am I to judge – if one can afford it, go for it!

The exhibit has quite a bit of tourist traffic on the weekends and because it’s only there for a short period of time, I suggest you visit during the week when it’s not so busy. There is a seven Euro charge for the exhibit but the Carnavalet is free. The museum accepts credit cards and there is a free package room for anything other than a purse.

If you have time, plan to visit the entire Carnavalet Museum as it houses some of the best documentation of the history of Paris. The Gal Pals were under a real time crunch so we did not tour the rest of the Carnavalet but wish we had!

Location

Carnavalet Museum

23 Rue de Sévigné, 75003 Paris 01 44 59 58 58

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