For which French empress did Louis Vuitton work as a trunk maker?

Louis Vuitton worked as a trunk maker and packer for Empress Eugénie.

Eugénie de Montijo became Empress of the French through her marriage to Napoleon III. After the French Empire was re-established in 1852, Vuitton was appointed to serve her, handling both the manufacture of travel cases and the careful packing of her fashionable wardrobe. Her patronage gave the young craftsman access to Parisian aristocratic and royal circles.

Vuitton had arrived in Paris in 1837 and apprenticed with the trunk maker and packer Romain Maréchal. In 1854, shortly after leaving Maréchal’s workshop, he opened his own packing and trunk-making business. His experience with elite clients helped shape the house’s emphasis on practical, customized luggage.

A frequent mix-up is identifying Eugénie with Marie Antoinette, another famously influential royal fashion figure. They lived in different centuries: Marie Antoinette was queen during the late 18th century, while Eugénie was empress during Napoleon III’s Second Empire. Vuitton’s later flat-topped, stackable trunks helped make his name internationally famous.