Design for Wagonette Break, no. 3590
1880
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache with gum arabic
Dimensions
sheet: 6 7/8 x 9 3/4 in. (17.5 x 24.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.461
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 19th-century coachmaking with *Design for Wagonette Break no. 3590*, a meticulously rendered drawing by the renowned New York firm Brewster & Co., dated 1880. Brewster & Co., founded in 1810, was America's premier carriage maker, crafting bespoke vehicles for the elite—including tycoons like the Vanderbilts and Astors. This design showcases a "wagonette break," a, open four-wheeled ideal for leisurely drives, blending functionality with opulent detailing. At the height of the horse-drawn era, just before automobiles reshaped transportation, such designs symbolize...
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...