Design for Dog Cart or 2 Wheeler, no. 4011
1888
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 3/16 x 8 5/8 in. (15.7 x 21.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.607
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate design drawing captures a practical yet elegant vision for a “dog cart,” a popular two-wheeled carriage of the late nineteenth century. Created in 1888 by the renowned firm Brewster & Co., the sheet presents a compact vehicle suited for leisurely drives or sporting outings, its low body and open seating allowing easy access for both passengers and their canine companions. The modest dimensions—roughly the size of a postcard—belie the care taken in rendering every curve of the body, wheel spoke, and harness fitting. Brewster & Co. executed the design in pen and black ink, finishe...
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...