Louis Vuitton?s heritage as a trunk maker preceded even the founding of the company. It was in 1837 that a 16-year-old Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris by foot and started apprenticing for Monsieur Mar?chal. At the time, horse-drawn carriages, boats and trains were the main modes of transportation, and baggage was handled roughly. Travelers called upon craftsmen to pack and protect their individual objects. Louis Vuitton quickly became a valued craftsman at the Parisian atelier of Monsieur Mar?chal. These were the roots of his highly specialized trade; the beginnings of his career in an artisanal industry that called upon skills to custom design boxes and, later, trunks according to clients? wishes. Louis Vuitton stayed for 17 years before opening his own workshop at 4 Rue Neuve-des-Capucines near the Place Vendome. The early success of Louis Vuitton meant he had to expand his operations. This lead to the 1859 opening of his atelier in Asni?res. Just northeast of the center of Paris, the workshop started with 20 employees. In 1900, there were nearly 100 people and by 1914 there were 225. The original atelier has been expanded throughout the decades?including the addition of the Vuitton family residence?but it is still where products are crafted today. While the family home has been preserved and is part of a private museum, 170 craftsmen work in the Asni?res workshop, designing and creating leather goods and special orders for clients around the world.