Victorian travel wardrobe draws interest as it reappears at auction

This deluxe Victorian travel accessory is a ‘campaign wardrobe’ made by Robinson & Sons of Ilkley, Yorkshire.

Extracted from Antiques Trade Gazette | Roland Arkell

Robinson & Sons campaign wardrobe sold for £3400 at Mallams.

Fashioned in a gold floral upholstery around an octagonal pine and mahogany frame, it was really made for the domestic market rather than for international travel.

The interior is fitted with brass hooks and an enamel label reading Patent, Patentees and Manufacturers, Robinson & Sons Ilkley, Yorkshire.

Enamel lable on the Robinson & Sons campaign wardrobe sold for £3400 at Mallams.

The firm was known primarily for its Ilkley Portable Couch, a campaign day bed which proved so popular it was copied by a number of other companies.

This wardrobe also proved influential later in life: the example owned by designer Nicky Haslam was the inspiration for a wardrobe he recently designed for retailer OKA.

This late-19th century original, last sold at Christie’s in London in January 2014 for £2800, reappeared for sale at the Mallams (22.5% buyer’s premium) House & Garden sale in Abingdon on March 17 with an estimate of £600- 800. It again proved popular, selling online at £3400.