Thanks for the suggestion. I tried water and then alcohol and neither helped. In speaking with a trunk specialist, they said the only other way was to cut the canvas around it, lift it off, paint the trunk and then glue it back in place. But I felt the canvas was in too good condition to cut. So I saved the canvas and removed the stickers (in scraped bits and pieces).
Unfortunately a bit of history got erased there. But overall the trunk has been refurbished well. I just got replica stickers today. They look nice, but the original stickers with the fine artwork and gilded lettering beats the replica stickers hands down.
There are a couple trunk sites you can go to. These are in the Northeast but I am sure you can find more in the U.S.
http://www.brettunsvillage.com/http://www.stevensantiquetrunks.com/store.htmlRefurbishing the trunk was a lot of fun and would recommend it if you like working with wood, leather, and metal. The trunk I have is a steamer trunk from 1900's. I got it for $100 with missing handles, and lots of rusty parts. But after fixing it up, I have seen similar styles starting at $600. I will post a link soon with before and after pictures.