Vintage 1960s Monarch Blue Hard-shell Suitcase
Title
Vintage 1960s Monarch Blue Hard-shell Suitcase
Subject
Travel Artifacts, Mid-Century Design, Mid-Century Modern Travel, Luggage and Travel Equipment, Industrial Design, 1960s Consumer Goods
Description
This artifact is a vintage 1960s Monarch hard-shell suitcase in a mid-sized form. It has a hard and sturdy blue exterior with running white stitches across the front and back. It features two metal latches at the top with small locks and keyholes on either side, and metal lettering with the Monarch logo near one of the latches, typically on the left side. In context, Monarch Luggage Company was a U.S.-based luggage manufacturer that originated in New York/Brooklyn, selling suitcases, travel bags, and other travel goods. Their product line included both hard- and soft-shell suitcases, carry-on bags, garment bags, and travel-sized bags. Monarch followed the mid-century rise in mass-market travel, a consumer culture trend that promoted leisure travel due to postwar prosperity and the implementation of the five-day workweek. This suitcase reflected the popularity of travel, and its sleek form allowed for stackability, easier handling, and storage.
ID:
A medium-sized rectangular hard-shell suitcase with a soft blue outer shell. It includes two metal latches and a handle located at the top center. The design follows a curved edge pattern with a sleek and minimalist 1960s style that is smooth and rounded at the edges, better reflecting the modernistic aesthetic. It is compact and flat, without any pockets or outer zippers, enhancing its stackability. Wear marks are light, and scuffs are visible, indicating long-term use. There is a small square yellow sticker on the top half of the suitcase near the handle that says “Air France,” with the abbreviation “PAR” and numbers “00161” beneath it. There is another sticker on the top left of the front side and on the back side of the suitcase, split horizontally into sections of blue and white. The sticker has bold black-and-white letters that read “All Over the World BOAC takes care of you,” with the name “DONWORTH” handwritten in pen in the white section of the sticker.
Physical Dimensions: 22 in (W) × 14 in (H) × 7 in (D) – Mid-size
ID:
A medium-sized rectangular hard-shell suitcase with a soft blue outer shell. It includes two metal latches and a handle located at the top center. The design follows a curved edge pattern with a sleek and minimalist 1960s style that is smooth and rounded at the edges, better reflecting the modernistic aesthetic. It is compact and flat, without any pockets or outer zippers, enhancing its stackability. Wear marks are light, and scuffs are visible, indicating long-term use. There is a small square yellow sticker on the top half of the suitcase near the handle that says “Air France,” with the abbreviation “PAR” and numbers “00161” beneath it. There is another sticker on the top left of the front side and on the back side of the suitcase, split horizontally into sections of blue and white. The sticker has bold black-and-white letters that read “All Over the World BOAC takes care of you,” with the name “DONWORTH” handwritten in pen in the white section of the sticker.
Physical Dimensions: 22 in (W) × 14 in (H) × 7 in (D) – Mid-size
Creator
Monarch Luggage Company
Source
Personal Collection
Date
1960s
Contributor
Conner Salgado-Ramirez
Rights
This material is subject to copyright law and is made available for private study, scholarship, and research purposes only.
Format
JPG
Language
English
Type
Physical Object
Collection
Citation
Monarch Luggage Company, “Vintage 1960s Monarch Blue Hard-shell Suitcase,” Aegis Digital Museum, accessed December 8, 2025, https://aegisdigitalmuseum.kennesaw.edu/items/show/248.
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