Design for Coupé, no. 979
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache
Dimensions
sheet: 6 1/4 x 9 in. (15.9 x 22.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.1858
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the mid-19th century as America's elite flaunted their wealth through opulent modes of transport, Brewster & Co., a premier New York carriage maker, crafted designs like this *Design for Coupé, no. 979*. Attributed to Channing Britton, this delicate drawing from 1850–70 depicts a sleek, enclosed two-passenger coupé—a symbol of refined elegance and status. Horse-drawn carriages were the pinnacle of luxury travel before automobiles, and Brewster's firm supplied vehicles to presidents, royalty, and tycoons, blending craftsmanship with emerging industrial design. Rendered in pen and black ink ...
About the Artist
Brewster & Co.|Channing Britton
**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...