Camphor wood is the timber of the camphor laurel tree, Cinnamomum camphora, native to China, Taiwan, Japan and parts of South East Asia. It is a pale golden to light brown hardwood, often with attractive figure, and it is valued above all for its strong aromatic scent, which helps to deter moths and other insects.
Because of this natural property, camphor wood was used extensively for chests, trunks and boxes for storing clothes, linen and textiles. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries large quantities of camphor wood chests were made in China and elsewhere in Asia for European and American traders, officers and sailors, many with brass corners, carrying handles and locks. British military and colonial campaign chests were also often made in camphor wood, sometimes in combination with teak or mahogany. Chinese export chests were sometimes covered in leather and decorated with painted or gilded designs, while others were carved. When buying, look for the original brass fittings, sound joints and lids, and remember that the timber's scent often remains noticeable inside a chest after many decades. Camphor chests make excellent blanket boxes, coffee tables and storage in bedrooms and halls.
