Design for Stanhope Phaeton, no. 1060
1850–74
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache with gum Arabic
Dimensions
sheet: 6 3/8 x 9 3/8 in. (16.2 x 23.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.1794
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of 19th coachmaking with *Design for Stanhopeaeton, no. 1060*, a exquisite rendering by the renowned New York firm Brewster & Co. Created between 1850 and 1874, this drawing showcases a sleek, open-top Stanhope phaeton—a lightweight, sporty carriage favored by the elite for leisurely drives. Named after British statesman Earl Stanhope, these vehicles symbolized speed, elegance, and social status in an era when horse-drawn transport was the pinnacle of luxury travel. Brewster & Co., America's premier carriage builders, catered to affluent clients like the Vanderbilt...
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...