Design for 4 seat Rockaway, no. 3536

Art Historical Context

In the late 19th century, America's elite embraced opulent modes of transport, Brewster & Co., New York's premier coachbuilders, crafted designs like this exquisite 1879 drawing for a four-seat Rockaway carriage (no. 3536). The Rockaway, named after the Long Island resort town, was a stylish, four-wheeled vehicle with a removable or folding top, prized for its versatility in urban and country settings. This catalog-style rendering captures the firm's reputation for precision engineering and aesthetic refinement during the Gilded Age, just before automobiles reshaped travel. Rendered on a modest 6 13/16 × 9 3/16-inch sheet, the work employs pen and black ink for crisp outlines, layered with watercolor and gouache for vibrant hues, and gum arabic to add a glossy sheen—mimicking the polished wood and lacquered finishes of the final carriages. Such mixed-media techniques highlight the artistry in industrial design, blending technical draftsmanship with painterly flair. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1923 by William Brewster, this piece from the Drawings and Prints department offers a window into an era of masterful craftsmanship, evoking the clip-clop elegance of horse-drawn luxury.

About the Artist

Brewster & Co. · 1837–present

**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...