Design for Pony Phaeton, no. 3185
1876
Medium
Watercolor and ink
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 11/16 x 9 1/16 in. (17 x 23 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.842
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 19th-century carriage design with *Design for Pony Pha, no. 3185* by Brewster & Co., created in 1876. This delicate watercolor and ink drawing on a modest 6 11/16 x 9 1/16-inch sheet captures the refined lines of a pony phaeton—a lightweight, open four-wheeled carriage ideal for leisurely drives by ladies and gentlemen of leisure. Brewster & Co., a premier New York firm founded in 1810, was renowned for crafting luxury vehicles for America's elite during the Gilded Age, blending British styling with American innovation. The artwork exemplifies the precision of i...
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...