Design for 2 seat Phaeton, no. 3041a
1874
Medium
Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache
Dimensions
sheet: 6 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. (15.9 x 23.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Brewster, 1923
Accession Number
23.112.666
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of 19th-century coachmaking with *Design for 2 Seataeton, no. 3041a* by Brewster & Co., created in 1874. This delicate drawing captures the blueprint for a light, open two-seater phaeton—a stylish carriage favored by America's Gilded Age elite for leisurely drives. At just 6¼ x 9¼ inches, it reflects the precision of an era when horse-drawn vehicles were symbols of wealth and craftsmanship, before automobiles reshaped transportation. Brewster & Co., New York's premier carriage makers from 1810 to 1926, produced luxury vehicles for presidents and tycoons. Rendered i...
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...