In 1837, at the age of 16, Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris as an apprentice for Monsieur Maréchal where he crafted luggage trunks and boxes. Seventeen years later he opened his own workshop in the Place Vendome. Having earned a reputation as an exceptionally skilled trunk-master, in the 1859 Vuitton established his legendary atelier in Asnières-sur-Seine with 20 employees. 

As the workshop increased to 100 employees in 1900 and to 225 employees by 1914, the atelier expanded accordingly, including the addition of the Vuitton family home. The residence has been preserved and is part of a private museum open to the public on weekends from mid-March to mid-April. Today, 170 artisans still work in the workshop behind the house making leather goods and specialty custom orders for clients around the world.

These photographs from 1859 offer a glimpse into the early years of the Louis Vuitton workshop that has continued to shape luxury markets and fashion history for over 180 years.