Design for Landau, No. 3923
1884
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache with gum arabic and metallic ink
Dimensions
sheet: 6 9/16 x 8 13/16 in. (16.7 x 22.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.140
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 19th-century coachmaking with *Design for Landau, No 3923* by Brewster & Co., a masterful 1884 drawing from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created the renowned New York firm founded in 1810, this precise rendering showcases a luxurious four-wheeled landau carriage—a convertible vehicle favored by the elite for its folding roof and refined proportions. At just 6 9/16 x 8 13/16 inches, the sheet captures the firm's signature style: sleek lines, polished woodwork, and ornate detailing that screamed Gilded Age opulence. Brewster & Co. dominated the American carriag...
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...