Design for Cabriolet or Victoria, no. 3571a
1880
Medium
Pen, black ink, watercolor and gouache with gum arabic
Dimensions
sheet: 6 3/4 x 9 3/8 in. (17.1 x 23.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.368
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 19th-century coachbuilding with *Design for Cabriolet Victoria, no. 1a* by Brewster & Co., in 1880. This delicate drawing captures the refined lines of a luxury carriage—either a sleek cabriolet, a light two-wheeled vehicle for city jaunts, or a stately victoria, perfect for leisurely drives. Produced by one of America's premier carriage makers, founded in New York in 1810, it exemplifies the Gilded Age's obsession with opulent horse-drawn transport for the elite. Brewster & Co. was renowned for crafting bespoke vehicles for figures like the Vanderbilts and Asto...
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...