Ready for your color experiments and modern art assemblages: a somewhat mysterious and very exciting fiberboard suitcase, ca. 1960s-70s, approx. 16 x 10 x 5 inches (plus handles and wonky sides). Heavy board separates a side compartment with a rusty key and dried out foamish bricks that crumble to the touch, overall Very Good with general wear including scuffing and rust. The metal trim along the short sides is bent outward, distorted but still fitting. Latches are fully functional and a small key might fit the front lock if cleaned (but we don't know for sure).

Manufactured by the Fibre Products Division of Ikelheimer-Ernst, Inc., NY. Their label appears under the front latch, as well as the punched name plate of its former owner. Originally designed for traveling salesmen, the cases were featured in the New York Times in 1976 as a hot item for travelers, noting the lightweight fiber cases "look something like an old fashioned immigrant box or trunk" ("When the living is easy and the traveling is light," June 20, 1976).

This case contains 40 plastic bottles filled to various levels with powdered pigments. Snugly fitted with square bodies and opaque to protect the contents from light, they have adhesive punched labels on the lids and many retain printed paper labels on the sides. Most labels refer to 5-digit Color Index Numbers—the standardized codes first printed in 1925 by the Society of Dyers and Colourists the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. The database (now available online) includes information about the chemical structure of each pigment, offering a standardized reference for manufacturers (think Pantone). Other bottles appear to be auxiliary agents ("Opax" for opacity, and "R-100" for a resist, perhaps?). The powdered pigments could be mixed for dyes, paints and finishes. 

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