Phaeton #918
ca. 1870
Medium
Graphite, pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache with gum arabic and metalic ink
Dimensions
sheet: 8 3/4 x 6 in. (22.2 x 15.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.3066
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 19th-century equestrian luxury with *Phaeton #918*, a captivating design drawing by the renowned New York carriage makers Brewster & Co., circa 1870. This work on an 8 3/4 x 6-inch sheet depicts a sleek, open phaeton—a lightweight, four-wheeled carriage favored by the elite for its speed and style, evoking the thrill of high-society promenades in parks like Central Park. Brewster & Co., founded in 1810, epitomized American craftsmanship during the Gilded Age, crafting bespoke vehicles for America's wealthiest families, including Vanderbilts and Astors. This cata...
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...