01. Hotel Danubio | Sao Paulo, Brazil | Mid-Century Modern
Tom Schifanella (aka Art of the Luggage Label) is Senior VP/Executive Creative Director for The Robin Shepherd Group, a full service ad agency in Jacksonville, Florida. As a designer he is hard-wired with a great appreciation for image and type. Several years ago Tom embarked on a small hobby to collect vintage posters, travel posters in particular. With poster prices on the rise by the late 80′s he then began looking for a more affordable form of travel ephemera, hence vintage luggage labels. Over the years this “small” hobby has taken him both across the nation and abroad and has grown into a full blown passion and a massive collection. And I sincerely mean massive. I stumbled into his site recently and happily struggled to find the exit ramp. I thought I must have hit the designer geek lottery.
02. Baur Au Lac | Zurich, Switzerland | Charles Kuhn
03. Hotel Victoria | Basel, Switzerland | Mid-Century Modern
Tom very graciously allowed me to post selections from his amazing luggage label collection here on AQ-V. But this created a serious dilemma… how in God’s green earth could I cull through more than 1,300 labels (when I wanted to see each and every one) AND narrow these down to a small set of my top top top favorites? It was terrifically tough. Here I present an incredible batch of 19 tasty eye treats. These are guaranteed to make you feel as though you are being rewarded for being extraordinarily good this week… because I am sure you have. Be sure to make the jump below to see the full set of 19 and learn more about Tom’s website(s).
04. Motel Keszthely | Keszthely, Hungary | Mid-Century Modern
Per Tom, the purpose of Art of the Luggage Label is “to create an online resource for collectors to share information and learn more about these gems from the golden age of travel. Also, as a graphic designer I have always had an interest in the history of design so this gives me a way to share that passion with others… The goal is to get submissions from as many collectors as possible so we can build a complete online visual library of labels based on printer, artist etc. A huge task that will probably take years to complete!”
If you yourself are a vintage luggage label collector please consider contributing to this project. You will receive credit and if your collection is a healthy size, you will have your own “set” including a written description.
05. Lone Star Hotel Adolphus | Dallas, Texas
06. Hotel Lassen | Wichita, Kansas
Speaking of written descriptions, take a read at John Wardle’s. This gentleman circled the globe 18 times in his 92 year lifespan while traveling light and collecting hundreds of luggage labels in the process. Steve Wardle’s account of his great uncle’s life is a fantastic piece of literature packed with adventure. Highlights include John Wardle’s stint in the secret service, an unsuccessful writing career, a very successful dating career, living in a Boston apartment with 7 phones, being arrested erroneously in Italy for espionage and being locked in the Taj Mahal by mistake… just to name a few.
08. Hotel Louvre et Paix | Marseille, France
09. Hotel de Londres e Cargill | Rome, Italy
(From the Rázsó Collection)
As noted, some of the labels featured here are part of the Rázsó Collection. Mr. György Rázsó passed away in 2008 leaving behind an extensive label collection he had acquired over several decades. Tom is now selling the collection on behalf of the family. It includes a wide variety of labels… from very common to rare and new labels are released every week. Prices are very reasonable and the designs range from 1910–1960.
10. Pioneer Hotel | Tucson, Arizona
11. Palace Hotel Locarno | Charles Kuhn
12. Edenhotel Interlaken | Basel, Switzerland
13. Bismarck Hotel | Chicago
14. Hotel Times Square | New York
15. Victoria Hotels Seiler Zermatt | Switzerland
16. Sabena Airlines | Mid-Century
17. Hotel Sta. Chiara | Venice, Italy
(From the Rázsó Collection)
18. Tours to USSR 1939 Brochure Cover | Selensky
19. Intourist | Moscow, USSR
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>> Art of the Luggage Label Vintage Luggage Label Library on Flickr
>> Rázsó Collection Original Vintage Luggage Labels for Purchase
>> Tom Schifanella Interview with Marty Weil on the Ephemera Blog
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A huge *thank you* to Tom for sharing his collection with us including the tremendous amount of time and care to scan, post and catalog all these super incredible works of visual design history! And a further note of appreciation for his time in providing me additional information for this article. Thank you, Tom!
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Fascinating Amy. As always, so well written and documented, I learn so much over here. The Motel Kesztheley label is definitely my favourite.
It is true that this is an incredible collection of great design on many levels. Amy, you have done a great job in selecting your 19 choices. (I’m grabbing my passport!) It must have been tough, however, to overcome the gravitational pull and separate them from the remaining 1281 luggage labels. That’s one BIG collection!
Thanks you guys! Deb, that label is amazing I know… one of my top top top favorites along with oh about 898 others. :~) So yes, Jay the G-pull was significant for certain. The 1,300+ look so amazing and play so nice together. I still can’t get over how much love, care, time and work Tom has put into collecting and sharing these plus organizing the entire project. Wowza. I feel so fortunate to have found his site and crossed paths with him. He obviously is a very generous soul.
What a nice selection from an amazing collection!
I would especially like to book a room at the Hotel Danubio and Motel Keszthely… the 1932 Constructivist Russian label is another fave
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