Design for Drag or Break (unnumbered)
1850–70
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache with gum arabic
Dimensions
sheet: 6 x 8 3/4 in. (15.3 x 22.3 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.3028
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate design drawing by Brewster & Co., premier New York carriage manufacturer from the mid-19th century, the elegance of a "Drag or"—luxurious, four-wheeled horse-drawn carriages by America's elite for leisurely drives or coaching excursions. Created between 1850 and 1870, during the golden age of horse-drawn transport before automobiles reshaped urban life, it exemplifies the firm's reputation for crafting bespoke vehicles blending functionality with opulent detailing. Rendered in pen and black ink with watercolor, gouache, and gum arabic on a modest 6 x 8 3/4-inch sheet, the work s...
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...