Design for Vis-à-vis, no. 854
ca. 1870
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache with metallic ink and gum arabic
Dimensions
sheet: 5 7/16 x 8 3/4 in. (13.8 x 22.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.3122
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 19th-century carriage design with *Design for Vis-à-vis no. 854* by Brewster & Co., circa 1870. This exquisite drawing depicts a vis-à-vis carriage—a luxurious four-wheeled vehicle with facing seats, ideal for intimate social outings among the elite. Produced by New York City's premier carriage makers, founded in 1810, it captures the pinnacle of horse-drawn transport just before the automobile era dawned. Brewster & Co. was renowned for crafting bespoke vehicles for America's Gilded Age aristocracy, blending functionality with opulent style. Rendered in pen and...
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...