An Exhibition That Could Pack ‘Em In

When Robert Gelardi looks at his 19th century trunks, he sees more than a collection of oversized wood and metal boxes.

The 50-year-old Garden Grove photographer and antiques dealer sees a collection of stories about people he may never know.

“If they could only speak to you and tell you where they had been,” Gelardi said of the trunks. “Maybe royalty had owned them.”

Gelardi will share his trunks as part of an autumn exhibition of Victorian styles at Santa Ana’s historic Dr. Howe-Waffle House beginning Saturday. Among them will be the flagship of his collection, a Louis Vuitton trunk made about 1870.

He values the dark brown Vuitton trunk, banded by two strips of blond wood, at several thousand dollars. But, he said, “you don’t look at this as a trunk. You look at it as a piece of history.”

Gelardi has 150 trunks in his collection from around the world; four of them will be on display.

The trunks are often purchased at estate auctions and garage sales, although Gelardi does not have the time to research the histories he believes may be behind each trunk. However, most of the trunks probably belonged to the wealthiest classes of people, he said.

The workmanship includes metal brackets with geometric imprints, portraits of women inside the trunk lids, and in the case of the Vuitton, a label listing the company’s first store in Paris.

The trunks will remain on display through December at the house, administered by the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society. It is at the corner of Sycamore Street and Civic Center Drive in downtown Santa Ana.

Admission on Saturday is $7, and no appointment is necessary. After Saturday, however, tours are by appointment only: call (714) 547-9645.