Design for 4 seat Phaeton, no top, no. 755
Medium
pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache
Dimensions
sheet: 6 3/16 x 8 7/8 in. (15.7 x 22.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.1657
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate design drawing from Brewster & Co., with contributions by Paul Rodissart captures the elegance of a four-seat phaeton carriage—topless for open-air motoring in style—crafted between 1850 and 1870. Produced by one of New York's premier carriage makers, the sheet showcases the firm's expertise in bespoke vehicles for the elite, blending functionality with refined aesthetics during the golden age of horse-drawn transport. Phaetons were prized for their lightweight construction and speed, ideal for leisurely drives or spirited outings, reflecting mid-19th-century American aspiration...
About the Artist
Brewster & Co.|Paul Rodissart
**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...