Design for 2 Seat Sleigh, no. 3679
Medium
Pen and black in, watercolor and gouache with gum arabic
Dimensions
sheet: 6 5/8 x 8 13/16 in. (16.8 x 22.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.1239
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 19th-century luxury transport with *Design for 2 Seat Sleigh, no. 3679* (1881), a delicate drawing by Herman Stahmer for the renowned New York firm Brewster & Co. This compact sheet (6 5/8 x 8 13/16 in.) captures a refined two-seat sleigh, for snowy streets, evoking the glamour of Gilded Age winter outings. Brewster & Co., founded in 1810, crafted bespoke carriages and sleighs for America's elite, blending functionality with opulent design—think polished woods, gleaming runners, and plush seating for leisurely rides. Rendered in pen and black ink for precise lin...
About the Artist
Brewster & Co.|Herman Stahmer
**Brewster & Co.** Brewster & Company, a premier American coachbuilder renowned for its exquisite carriage designs, was established in 1810 in New Haven, Connecticut, by James Brewster (1788–1866). Born in 1788, Brewster trained as a wagonmaker's apprentice starting at age 16 in Northampton, Massachusetts, before relocating to New Haven, where he set up his workshop and quickly gained acclaim for...