The case is our starting point. What it contains opens a wider world.
Fitted interiors, personal possessions, the rituals of travel. Original objects and documents connect the Leuchars world with its history in London and Paris.
Our point of view
A world within.
An exterior offers a first impression. An interior reveals the thought given to what lies inside: the shape of a compartment, the position of a fitting, the balance of hard and soft materials.
The blue velvet lining and fitted implements of this surviving case invite a closer look at the relationship between contents and container.
Enter the Leuchars World
The historical foundation
London and Paris.
The record on paper.
An invoice dated 31 March 1877 places the British Royal Arms beside the French imperial arms. Piccadilly and Rue de la Paix appear beneath the Leuchars name.
Follow Lucy Leuchars at Piccadilly, the house in Paris, and the people named in its surviving records. Each Archive study brings together the objects, marks and documents behind the account.
A documented service
A royal owner.
A personal ritual.
A crowned monogram makes an everyday object personal. The surviving components of Crown Prince Gustaf’s travelling service connect that identity with marked objects and a documented museum provenance.
Discover the travelling service
From case to room
The things we keep within reach.
A writing case gathers the desk. A travelling service carries the rituals of the dressing table. Scent bottles, correspondence and personal objects give a room its particular life.
The house today
A contemporary purpose.
The weight of glass. The movement of a hinged cover. A place for what we carry. These details inform the questions behind Leuchars today: what should an object hold, and how should it feel in use?
The present-day house is distinct from the historical firm. Its work begins with use, materials and the care given to personal possessions.
Historical references & image sources
Read the sources and attribution in the published Archive records for Lucy Leuchars and Crown Prince Gustaf’s travelling service. The historical case, brush and jar photographs are Livrustkammaren/SHM, CC BY 4.0. They are museum references, not items offered for sale. The billhead details are edited photographs of the original document; see Royal & Imperial Patronage for their context and the full invoice.
Campaign images: imagined interiors created for Leuchars, distinct from the documentary objects and billhead photographs.
Continue the story
A Paris chapter.
From Piccadilly to Rue de la Paix: follow the addresses, objects and surviving records.
Discover Leuchars in ParisImagined campaign salon created for Leuchars; not a historical view of the Paris premises.
