Design for 4 Seat Sleigh, no. 3669
1881
Medium
pen and black ink, watercolor ans gouache with gum arabic
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 5/8 x 8 7/8 in. (16.8 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
23.112.1237
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant design for a four-seat sleigh, created in 1881 by the renowned New York carriage firm Brewster & Co., captures the refined winter transportation of the Gilded Age. Brewster & Co. was celebrated for crafting luxurious vehicles that blended functionality with sophisticated ornamentation, and this drawing likely served as a presentation piece to showcase a custom sleigh model numbered 3669. The compact sheet invites viewers to imagine graceful horses pulling the vehicle through snowy Central Park, reflecting the era’s blend of leisure and status. Rendered in pen and black ink with d...
About the Artist
Brewster & Co.
**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...