Design for Pony Phaeton, no. 3824
1883
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache with gum arabic
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 11/16 x 8 15/16 in. (17 x 22.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.925
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of Gilded Age luxury with *Design for Pony Pha, no. 3824*, a meticulously crafted drawing by the renowned New York coachbuilders Brewster & Co. from 1883. This petite sheet (6 11/16 x 8 15/16 in.) captures the elegant lines of a pony phaeton—a lightweight, four-wheeled open ideal for leisurely urban jaunts or park promenades, pulled by small ponies for a nimble, stylish ride. Brewster & Co., established in 1810, were America's preeminent carriage makers, crafting vehicles for presidents, tycoons, and high society, embodying the era's opulent craftsmanship before aut...
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...