Design for Vis-à-vis, no. 202
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache
Dimensions
6 3/8 x 10 in. (16.2 x 25.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.1501
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate design drawing captures a proposed "vis-à-vis" carriage, a graceful vehicle in which passengers sat facing one another, fostering intimate conversation during outings. Created between 1850 and 1870 by Brewster & Co. in collaboration with designer Channing Britton, the sheet served as a working proposal for one of America’s most prestigious carriage makers. At just over six by ten inches, the compact format allowed clients to envision the vehicle’s elegant lines and proportions before it was built. Executed in pen and black ink with watercolor and gouache, the drawing highlights ...
About the Artist
Brewster & Co.|Channing Britton
**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...