[A fascinating small archive of 89 original coated luggage labels spanning 30 years of travel for the MacDonald family as they cruised on ocean liners and steamships through the Americas, Asia, India, Ceylon, Africa, and Europe. The vivid colour lithograph images, and colour printed pieces incorporate some of the most famous Grand Hotels from the golden age of travel before and after World War II].

[Los Angeles, CA: MacDonald Collection, ca. 1920-1955]. Archive of 89 coated labels, sized from 2.25 x 3.5 in., up to 6.25 x 8.5 in., with many in the middle ranges, including distinctive 5.25 in. rounds, most colour lithographs, some with metallic inks, nearly all retaining the original adhesive from never having been applied to luggage, in assorted shapes, many round, others rectangular, square, diamond shaped, etc., most on thin coated paper stock, all NF condition, from the library of Archibald Angus MacDonald (1892-1977), stepson of famed southern California oil man William F. Byrne, as well as oil company, and drilling equipment company owner and manager of MacDonald & Burns Oil Producers. A delightful and remarkably colourful small archive of fine lithographed and colour printed luggage labels preserved from over three decades of ocean liner travel by the well-to-do California oil family. Their frequent voyages carried them to Hawaii, Asia, South Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, preserving luggage labels, souvenir brochures, and more along the way. At the time they were an essential advertising campaign largely driven by the popular Grand Hotels, and were often illustrated by such renowned commercial and graphic artists as Dan Sweeney, and Mario Borgoni. Included amongst these are iconic labels for the historic Park Hotel depicting jockeys racing on the Shanghai Club race track in front of the iconic Art Deco building completed in 1934; The Cathay & The Metropole in Shanghai, operated by Cathay Hotels, Ltd.; the historic Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong, opened in 1928 and founded by the brothers Ellis & Elly Kadoorie, still considered one of the finest hotels east of the Suez; or beautiful scenic labels created for the Eastern & Oriental Hotel the “E&O” still considered one of the finest hotels in Southeast Asia, and the Oriental Hotel in Kobe, Japan. Also present are labels for the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, originally opened in 1887, Mrs. Ch’ien’s Guest House located originally not far from the Legation Quarter in Peking, Maidens Hotel, Delhi, the splendid Clark’s Hotel, Benares (Varanasi), still considered the finest heritage hotel in the city, and the Imperial Hotel of New Delhi, opened in 1936, designed by F.B. Blomfield. The MacDonald’s visited the Philippines several times, often staying the Manila Hotel, Hawaii where the Royal Hawaiian, and the Kiluaea Volcano House were their places of choice, and frequently stated at The Biltmore in Los Angeles after returning from trips, the Plaza in Buenos Aires, the Waldorf in New York, and many of the major European Hotels. Also present are labels for the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka, founded in 1865, featuring the historic south wing designed by Edward Skinner, and one of the oldest hotels East of Suez. South Africa was a stopover during their 1952 Great Africa-India Cruise on the RMS Caronia, and labels include Polley’s Hotel, Pretoria, the Imperial Hotel in Pietermaritzburg, and the North Western Hotel, Livingstone, N. Rhodesia.