Design for Phaeton (unnumbered)
ca. 1875
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache with gum arabic
Dimensions
sheet: 6 x 8 5/8 in. (15.2 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
23.112.1804
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the Gilded Age of late 19th-century America, horse-drawn carriages were more than mere transport—they were symbols of wealth and social standing. This delicate *Design for Phaetonunnumbered)*, created around 1875 by the renowned New York firm Brewster & Co., captures that elegance. Brewster & Co. was a carriage maker, crafting bespoke vehicles for America's elite, and this drawing served as a refined proposal for a phaeton: a lightweight, open four-wheeled carriage known for speed, sporty design, and high seat, favored for leisurely drives or racing. Rendered on a modest 6 x 8 5/8-inch she...
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...