Wooden trunk housing glass plate negatives : L and A Thuillier, photographers, Vignacourt

Wooden trunk fabricated from four horizontally laid butt jointed planks with an arched, hinged lid. The corner joints are hidden by a series of thin iron bands, nailed on the exterior around each corner. Additionally, three lengths of timber are nailed to the base to form supports. To each end of the trunk is fastened a 'D' shaped carrying handle, made from 7 mm round iron bar, attached to a plain iron estucheon plate. The lid is secured with a key-operated lock and latch - the latch has corroded into the open position. Three reinforcing laths are nailed along the top of the lid. The external joint between each plank has been sealed with a strip of glued linen, with a layer of newspaper glued over the top of the entire trunk and finished with what appears to be a bitumous coating. The base is also sealed with linen strips, but lacks the newspaper. The external lower edge of the lid has been fitted with a dust skirt, possibly of leatherette, tacked to the lid with upholstery pins. Most of this skirt is now missing. Each corner of lid is also protected with a pad of leather overlaying the metal banding.

Internally the trunk and lid have been lined with a simple repeating floral pattern wallpaper - much of which is missing. There are a pair of supports nailed to each side 110mm from the top, originally supporting an internal shelf, now missing. A locking support arm is fitted to the proper right side, but the upper arm is detached. There are a pair of pink cotton tape ties pinned to the proper right side of the inside of the lid, and evidence of a matching pair on the other side, but only the pins remain.

Trunk used to house First World War glass plate negatives of images taken by husband and wife photograhers Louis and Antoinette Thuillier of Vignacourt, France.