THE CARRIAGES
_at_ Shelburne Museum
_By_ LILIAN BAKER CARLISLE
[Illustration]
_Museum Pamphlet Series, Number 1_
PUBLISHED BY
THE SHELBURNE MUSEUM
SHELBURNE · VERMONT
COPYRIGHT 1956
BY THE SHELBURNE MUSEUM, INC.
SHELBURNE, VERMONT
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BY THE LANE PRESS, BURLINGTON, VERMONT
_Can You Remember_ ...
In the 1900 United States census, there were listed 4,571
vehicle-constructing concerns. They employed 126,000 men and paid
yearly wages to the amount of $70,000,000. Fifty years later one or two
specialists still manufacture a limited variety of vehicles, but during
our lifetime the carriage trade has vanished.
Persons now living rarely conceive of themselves as a part of history
and seldom make provisions for the perpetuation of examples and data of
their era. Although most of the carriages that once crowded the roads
have disappeared, some fine examples still exist in America on large
estates in hay-filled barns and dusty carriage houses, and it is to
be hoped that these few remaining vehicles will be rescued and placed
in museums where they will be preserved for the generations that come
after us as living mementoes of our past. Even the printed material,
old carriage maker’s catalogues, plans, illustrated magazines,
scrapbooks, wall charts, technical and account books--once present in
every carriage maker’s shop, has all but disappeared. This material
is of great value to the researcher, librarian and curator at museums
which have made provisions for its preservation. Persons owning any
of these documents would be performing an act of public service in
offering this material to museums, libraries or historical societies so
that it too can be kept intact.
The collection of vehicles at the Shelburne Museum contains the
sleighs and carriages, light and heavy, formerly owned by the late
Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward Webb; also those given by Mrs. Richard V. N.
Gambrill in memory of her husband; gifts of single carriages or sleighs
from interested donors; and purchases made to secure representative
vehicles. Illustrated in this pamphlet, which is the first of the
Shelburne Museum series, are examples of many of the carriage types
on display. A complete listing of the other carriages will be found
on page 65. A later publication will depict and describe the farm and
commercial wagons, as well as the fine collection of sleighs.
“Setting up” a fine carriage in the last century was quite different
from purchasing a fine automobile today. Considerable knowledge was
required as to style of harness, liveries, purpose, details and
customs. The description of one of the most costly late 19th century
stables here in the United States reads like a tale from the Arabian
nights. The town coach barn of this owner contained a coach, a
brougham, a hansom, a runabout and an opera wagon, but the carriage
house at his country estate was awe-inspiring. It sheltered dozens
of vehicles of every sort, and a corps of stablemen was employed
to maintain these vehicles in first class condition. In 1905 this
collection was broken up and auctioned off to the hundreds who came
and went during the days of the sale. Newspaper accounts of the day
said that they were bewildered by the display of the victorias, the
park drags, the skeleton breaks, the two hundred sets of harness, the
magnificent monogrammed blankets for the horses and all the rest of the
accoutrements.
[Illustration:
SKETCHED FROM LIFE BY T. WORTH LITH CURRIER & IVES, N. Y.
ENTERED ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS IN THE YEAR 1869 BY CURRIER &
IVES IN THE CLERK’S OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE U.S. FOR THE
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
FASHIONABLE “TURN-OUTS” IN CENTRAL PARK.
NEW YORK PUBLISHED BY CURRIER & IVES 152 NASSAU STREET]
The “carriage parade” was a daily event in every major American city
and New York’s vehicles thronged over the ten miles of fine carriage
roads in and around Central Park. Every afternoon between the hours
of four and five, fashionable society of New York “took the air.”
East Drive from the Mall south to Fifth Avenue and 59th Street was
lined with spectators, and in their polished carriages, attended by
their immaculate servants, the élite drove back and forth, passing and
re-passing each other. It is said that the first time they met each
other, they bowed ceremoniously, the second time they smiled, and the
third time they looked away. When warm weather came, society moved out
of the city en masse, and their carriages went along too. The summer
carriage parade at Newport, Rhode Island was reputed to be even finer
and more glittering than the New York “promenade on wheels.”
In the United States, it was not only the people of wealth and fashion
who owned carriages, and herein lies one of the great differences
in our attitude and that of the countries abroad. We developed
the rockaway, surrey, buggy and buckboard; vehicles that could be
produced inexpensively; vehicles that were light and practical with
a stripped-down functional look, yet for all their air of fragility,
possessed of great strength. We fashioned them so that a servant was
not required either to drive them or to maintain them; we built them
in such numbers and so well that the treatise on _Coachbuilding_
published in London in 1881 by J. W. Burgess noted:
“The carriages of America are so different from our own and
from those of Europe that they require special attention. It
is quite possible that in the future their style may greatly
influence carriages in all parts. The first noticeable trait
in them is lightness.... Americans have adopted some of the
shapes of Europe and the European mode on constructing the
under-carriages, retaining their own method of making the pole
and splinters, as giving greater freedom to the horses.
“The cheapness (of their vehicles) is attained by making large
numbers to the same pattern, by the use of (machinery) and by
the educated dexterity of the American workman, always ready to
adopt any improvement.”
Horse-drawn vehicles have played a vital part in the lives of civilized
peoples, and that period cannot pass for long without demanding the
attention of research scholars whose basic interest is to record
activities of the past for the benefit of the future.
Mr. and Mrs. J. Watson Webb, founders of the Shelburne Museum, have
assembled this collection of vehicles and placed it on display in the
hopes that it will play a part toward preserving for posterity the
examples of the coachbuilder’s art during the 19th and early 20th
centuries.
LILIAN BAKER CARLISLE
Shelburne, Vermont.
April 1, 1956
_Table of Contents_
PAGE
INTRODUCTION iii
CARRIAGES FOR AN OWNER’S DRIVING
Mail Phaeton 1
Spider Phaeton 2
Cut-under Phaeton 3
George IV Phaeton 4
Basket Phaeton 6
Miniature Phaeton 7
Curricle 8
Chaise 9
Doctor’s Gig 10
Dog Cart 11
Tandem Cart 12
“Going-to-Cover” Cart 14
Shooting Cart 15
NON-SPORTING CARRIAGES
Brougham 16
Landau 18
Panel-boot Victoria 19
Skeleton-boot Victoria 20
Vis-à-Vis 22
Private Omnibus 23
Calèche 24
Berlin 26
Carroll Coach 28
Formal Coach 29
Irish Jaunting Car 30
Hansom Cab 31
COACHING AND OTHER FOUR-IN-HAND VEHICLES
Road Coach “Liberty” 32
Park Drag 34
Road Coach “Defiance” 36
Skeleton Break 37
Body Break with Perch 38
CARRIAGES OF AMERICAN ORIGIN
Three-seat Surrey 40
Extension-top Surrey 41
Depot Wagon 42
Coupé Rockaway 43
Six-passenger Rockaway 44
Buckboard Phaeton 45
Pony Buckboard 46
Double Buckboard 48
Triple Buckboard 49
UNCLASSIFIED VEHICLES
Racing Sulky 50
Skeleton Wagon 51
Tub Cart 52
Kentucky Breaking Cart 54
Concord Wagon 55
Pleasure Wagon 56
Canadian Calèche 57
Mountain Wagon 58
Barge 59
Schroon Lake Concord Coach 60
Concord Mud Wagon 62
Highland & Alpine House Concord Coach 63
BIBLIOGRAPHY 64
CATALOG 65
[Illustration]
HORSESHOE BARN
This barn was the first structure erected on the Shelburne Museum
grounds. Copied from a barn located in the northern part of Vermont, it
was built of timbers from eleven different old Vermont barns and two
grist mills. It now houses the collection of carriages and is the only
building on the grounds that is not a preservation.
Each of the other twenty-four structures located on the twenty-five
acres has been chosen for its individual beauty or interest. Although
the buildings have been restored architecturally, they now serve as the
background for the lifetime collections of the founders and it is only
in the five homes that contemporary household furnishings have been
displayed.
Shelburne Museum is essentially a “collection of collections” and is
one of the newest of the outdoor country museums. It was founded in
1947 by Mr. and Mrs. J. Watson Webb, and has been chartered by the
State of Vermont as a non-profit educational institution.
Located on Route 7, just seven miles south of Burlington, Vermont, the
Shelburne Museum is open each year from May 15th to October 15th.
CARRIAGES FOR AN OWNER’S DRIVING
[Illustration]
MAIL PHAETON
_Dark green; cane work at back of seat. Trimmed in eggshell
broadcloth._
Styles in carriages, like women’s fashions, changed continuously.
Speaking of the mail phaeton, a massive, masculine pair-horse carriage,
the Duke of Beaufort in 1899 said: “They are much in use by noblemen
and gentlemen and frequently employed by bachelors for long posting
journeys in England as well as the Continent. They have almost reached
perfection in the hands of the builder, Peters.”
Just fourteen years later, Francis M. Ware wrote: “In phaetons, the
cumbrous and lumbering mail phaeton is as extinct as the dodo.”
The mail phaeton took its name from the mail coach and was
characterized by its wooden perch (the pole running from the rear to
the front axle) and mail coach springing. In England, these vehicles
were used to send out mail and parcels to the nearest point where the
royal mail coach passed.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration]
SPIDER PHAETON
_Black with red; canework at back of seat. Trimmed in blue
broadcloth._
In 1888, G. N. Hooper (feature writer for _Driving_ magazine)
wrote: “For some years the young men of fashion have driven a small
Stanhope phaeton. They are now giving place to spider phaetons, a sort
of Tilbury body on four wheels, with a neat little seat for the groom
behind, supported on branched irons; most of them have a folding head
over the front body.
“Those first made had a trembling and vibrating motion; but with more
solid construction ... they have become not only comfortable, but with
more refined designs and construction, more stylish in appearance. They
carry a lady and gentleman on the front seat comfortably, and the hind
seat is made of such size as to carry only one person, and the groom
runs no chance of having his dignity hurt by his master or one of his
friends having to sit beside him.”
This spider phaeton was built in Paris, France by Muhlbacher.
_Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr. Richard
V. N. Gambrill_
[Illustration]
CUT-UNDER PHAETON
_Body painted dark green. Trimmed in tan whipcord._
A wide variety of carriages are known as phaetons, but usually the name
is given to an open vehicle with four wheels which is intended for
personal driving by the owner.
The name phaeton comes to us from classical mythology. Helios, the sun
god, had a son called Phaet(h)on who in attempting to drive the sun
chariot through the sky lost control of the horses and lest he burn up
the earth, was consequently struck down by a thunderbolt of Zeus.
The cut-under construction of this phaeton gave clearance to the wheels
when the vehicle turned in a small radius, or where sharp turns into
driveways or alleys were required. The skeleton rumble seat in the rear
was for the groom and the carriage would have been turned out with a
single horse of about fifteen hands, or a cob (a small plump horse).
Sometimes it might also have been horsed with a pair.
[Illustration]
GEORGE IV PHAETON
_Green body with cane work, green gear. Trimmed in tan serge._
Although there were other phaetons suitable for ladies’ driving,
according to Mr. Underhill, only the Peter’s ladies’ phaeton and the
George IV phaeton were considered adequate for park driving. Their
graceful outline demanded the smartest possible turning out, but no
vehicle was more accommodating in displaying the charming picture of
a beautiful well-dressed woman driving a brilliant well-mannered and
nicely rounded pair of matched horses, attended by a single groom in
immaculate livery.
However, Francis Underhill in his book _Driving for Pleasure_
warned “It may be well to state in connection with the George IV
phaeton that they are very expensive carriages, and there being
comparatively few persons owning stables which would admit of their
use, they will be found difficult to dispose of except at a very great
sacrifice.”
This George IV phaeton belonged to Mrs. W. Seward Webb and was built
for her about 1882 by Brewster and Company of New York.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration]
The Peters’ ladies’ phaeton depicted in the old photograph above is
turned out à la grande daumont. This equipage took its name from the
Duc d’Aumont, a French leader of fashion both before and after the
French Revolution who introduced this style during the Restoration.
In this country it was presented to formal society at Newport, Rhode
Island by Mrs. August Belmont, wife of the Rothschild banker and mother
of Newport’s noted brothers, O. H. P. and Perry Belmont.
The lady’s driving phaeton (below) is harnessed in the simpler à
la demi daumont. The two carriages here illustrated are not in the
museum collection, but depict the alternate method of harnessing when
the postillion rides the near horse, or if four, the near leader and
wheeler.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
BASKET PHAETON
_Black with basket weave seat. Trimmed in blue broadcloth._
The pony basket phaeton was deservedly popular--especially with
women--as it required little skill to keep the body in order, was light
in weight and of small initial cost.
Prices and weights for the best make phaetons showed a wide variety,
depending upon which type was purchased. The schedule below was
published by James A. Garland about 1900 (_The Private Stable_):
Type of Phaeton Price Weight in Pounds
Basket (single) $400 350
Basket (pair-horse) 750 700
Ladies’ 1150 800
Mail 1450 1200
Spider 1150 800
Light and airy in appearance, this basket phaeton was used by its owner
as a summertime vehicle. It was built by the Hume Carriage Company of
Amesbury, Massachusetts.
_Gift of Mr. Arthur Brown, Tilton, New Hampshire._
[Illustration]
MINIATURE PHAETON
_Canework body painted black; wheels black with red striping. Trimmed
in black leather._
This little phaeton was made especially in a miniature size for Tom
Thumb of Bridgeport, Connecticut. P. T. Barnum first heard of the
perfectly-formed twenty-four inch sixteen pound child in 1842. He
secured his services for $3 per week and exhibited him at his New York
Museum. The child was exceptionally bright and Barnum undertook his
education, hiring a tutor and a French professor for him. Tom Thumb
with his parents, Barnum and the complete entourage sailed in 1844 for
Europe and the first of a number of prosperous tours. He became the
favorite of Continental royalty, as well as a pet at Buckingham Palace.
In 1862 Barnum contracted for the services of the perfectly formed
dwarf girl, Lavinia Warren, of Massachusetts, and the love marriage
of these two tiny people captured the romantic attention of every
American. Tom Thumb died when he was 45 years old--still tiny in
height, but by then a portly 70 pounds in weight.
[Illustration]
CURRICLE
_Body painted dark green; gear green. Trimmed in tan broadcloth._
James W. Burgess in 1881 in his treatise on _Coach Building_
pointed out that in the last years of the 17th and in the early years
of the 18th century “a vehicle much in fashion was the curricle,
which had been in use for some time in Italy where it was suspended
from leather braces. Springs were added by the French ... the English
altered the shape, giving the back a graceful ogee curve, improved the
hood and added a spring bar across the horses’ backs. It was a vehicle
of easy draught, and could be driven at great speed. Unfortunately it
was rather dangerous if the horses shied or stumbled, and this tended
to reduce the demand for it, although Charles Dickens used one as soon
as he could afford it, and Count D’Orsay had one made as late as 1836.”
This curricle, an extremely rare type of carriage, was built by
Brewster and Company of New York just before the turn of the 20th
century.
[Illustration]
CHAISE
_Body painted black. Trimming: black leather top and cushions
(restored in 1953)._
The chaise has been defined as a two-wheeled carriage for two persons
with a calash (folding) top and the body hung on leather straps or
thorough-braces.
This chaise was purchased from the descendants of Gen. John Stark
of Dunbarton, New Hampshire where the family homestead is located.
Tradition has it that Gen. Stark met the Marquis de Lafayette in
Concord, New Hampshire and drove him to the Stark home in this chaise
where Lafayette visited with Stark during his 1784 visit to America.
John Stark was one of the most colorful heroes of the Revolutionary War
and a special hero of Vermont, for it was at the Battle of Bennington
that Stark overwhelmingly defeated the British forces on August 16,
1777. “Bennington Battle Day” is Still celebrated every year in
Vermont, and is a state holiday.
[Illustration]
DOCTOR’S GIG
_Body painted black. Trimmed in black leather._
The gig was an exceedingly light vehicle and in reality was only a
chair fixed on shafts. Well adapted for traveling purposes, it was a
favorite of doctors and businessmen.
Of particular note is the method of springing used in this gig. Two
sloping members are bolted through the shafts to which are attached
the suspension leather braces. This ingenious form of suspension is
typically American and one which substituted for the heavier and
costlier methods of springing.
This gig belonged to Dr. Zacheus Bass of Middlebury, Vermont, who
practiced in Addison County from 1815 to 1881. He accompanied Vermont
troops to Plattsburgh, and during 1814 assisted in caring for the
wounded on Commodore MacDonough’s ship.
_On loan from the Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont_
[Illustration]
DOG CART
_Olive green, picked out with yellow. Trimming: tan tweed._
The dog cart, when setters and pointers were used for pheasant and
partridge shooting, was a useful vehicle to transport the dogs to
distant shoots, but outlived its usefulness for this originally
conceived purpose. Over the years it changed its shape, with the high
wheels and lofty driver’s seat giving way to a low, rakish line. The
profile of the body varied also, sometimes sloping side lines were the
fashion; other years the upright line was in favor.
In 1883 a lever permitting the whole body of the vehicle to be moved
backwards or forwards was patented. This simple device, located
directly below the driver’s seat, allowed the driver to change the
center of gravity of his dog cart, depending upon whether two or three
persons were riding as passengers, thereby easing the load on the pony
or cob drawing the cart.
This dog cart was built by Fred F. French, carriage maker of Boston,
Massachusetts.
_Gift of Mr. Arthur Brown, Tilton, New Hampshire._
[Illustration]
TANDEM CART
_Black body, yellow gear striped with black. Trimmed in tan cord._
Tandem driving (two horses, one behind the other) originated with
sportsmen in hunting countries who took their hunter to cover in
harness as the leader of two horses. He was expected to simply jog
along comfortably with the wheeler, or second horse, pulling the cart.
This custom of driving became popular and more or less of a sport in
itself.
Some authorities depreciated tandem driving, but Frederic Ashenden who
wrote the notes on tandem and four-in-hand driving for _The Private
Stable_ differed. He pointed out that it had always been his custom
to give a tandem pupil half a dozen lessons in four-in-hand driving
first before attempting tandem, for he felt the reins were more easily
handled with four. Francis W. Ware, author of _Driving_ agreed,
for as he said, a four would keep each other straight, but any bungling
with the reins would surely be communicated to the tandem team and
upset their work.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration]
TANDEM DRIVING
“Let anyone while he is young and has strong and steady nerves, a quick
eye and patience to learn his business thoroughly, try it, and perhaps
he will not repent. Let him begin by learning the uses, places and
combination of the harness to the last buckle. Then if he can find a
good professor, let him sit beside him, watch, listen and learn....
Then he may go far and certainly might fare worse.” Major-General Sir
C. Teesdale.
[Illustration]
These two photos showing Mr. J. Watson Webb driving the homemade tandem
practice cart were taken about 1903 in Shelburne, Vermont. The two
horses are Mary (leader) and Auburn Maid (wheeler).
[Illustration]
“GOING-TO-COVER” CART
_Black and white with red gear. Trimmed in eggshell corduroy._
This dog cart was one of the types approved for tandem driving by the
Tandem Club of New York. In design it was copied from a dog cart shown
in the print by C. C. Henderson entitled _Going-to-Cover_, which
has been described by authorities as a truly ideal sporting picture of
the tandem team. Originally the dogs would have been taken to cover in
the capacious boot which was ventilated on either side with louvered
spaces.
Tandem driving was practiced by the ladies as well as by gentlemen,
and in fact Lady Georgiana Curzon wrote the tandem chapter in
_Driving_, the volume on that sport written for the Badminton
Library of Sports and Pastimes, published in 1889.
This cart was built by Brewster and Company of New York.
_Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr. Richard
V. N. Gambrill_
[Illustration]
SHOOTING CART
_Body painted black; wheels and gear yellow. Trimmed in tan printed
pinwale corduroy, black pattern._
This type of vehicle is also known as a Slat-side Phaeton and is
described by Francis C. Underhill (_Driving for Pleasure_) as a
modification of a vehicle used on the other side of the water in a
lighter construction. It is intended for private use in the country
with a team or a pair and would have been found among the vehicles in
the coach barn of a connoisseur of carriages. The body work on the
shooting cart is similar to that found on the four-wheel dog cart.
This cart was built in 1894 for Dr. Webb by Brewster and Company of New
York.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
NON-SPORTING CARRIAGES
[Illustration]
BROUGHAM
_Body painted dark green, green gear. Trimmed in green leather._
The story of the origin of the brougham about 1837 was published in
1889 by George N. Hooper--at that time president of the Institute of
British Carriage Manufacturers. Lord Chancellor Brougham, lawyer,
orator, writer, innovator and originator of many ideas on many
subjects, took his plans for a refined and glorified vehicle similar to
the street cabs, just then making their appearance in London, to his
carriage maker who refused to produce the vehicle because it was light
and lacking in dignity in his estimation. A neighboring coachmaker
accepted the challenge of this new type of carriage and in gratitude
Brougham did his best to influence the world of fashion to purchase
this vehicle which revolutionized the old methods of carriage building
as regards lightness, handiness, ease of access and economy.
This brougham was built for Dr. and Mrs. Webb by Brewster and Company
of New York.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration]
(Above) The brougham, formerly owned by Dr. Webb, parked outside
Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne, Vermont during the marriage
ceremony of Miss Frederica Webb and Mr. Ralph Pulitzer in October of
1905. After the wedding, Dr. and Mrs. Webb returned to their home at
Shelburne Farms in the brougham and the lower photograph shows the
carriage entering the home grounds.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
LANDAU
_Body painted dark green, black trim with straw color striping.
Trimmed in dark green morocco leather and blue broadcloth._
The landau originated in the German town of that name and was used
from mid-18th century as a posting (traveling) or dress vehicle. About
1850, coachbuilders began to use the lighter elliptic springs on the
landau and the whole vehicle became more miniature in size. The landau
combined the virtues of both an open and close carriage, as the folding
heads could be dropped and the windows lowered.
Landaus with curved body lines were known as Sefton landaus and those
with angular lines as in this example were called Shelburne landaus
after the Earl of Shelburne who had the first of this pattern built to
his order.
This carriage was built by the famous Brewster and Company and belonged
to the Theodore Havemeyer family.
_Gift of Mr. Henry O. Havemeyer, Mahwah, New Jersey._
[Illustration]
PANEL-BOOT VICTORIA
_Body painted black with black wheels. Trimmed in navy blue
broadcloth._
The victoria became the fashionable park carriage when in 1869 the
Prince of Wales imported one from Paris for his mother, Queen Victoria,
for whom the carriage was named. When she appeared in it for her
daytime drives, it soared in popularity. Known at first as the victoria
phaeton, it was in truth a faithful copy of the George IV phaeton with
a box added for the coachman to drive from. It was always turned out in
formal style and is somewhat of a symbol of the reign of Queen Victoria.
This carriage was built by Henry Hooker and Company of New Haven,
Connecticut, and tradition has it that both Presidents Arthur and
Harrison were passengers in it during their visits to New Hampshire.
Note the “slip linings” on the boot and the leatherette apron pulled
over the interior upholstery. These served as dust protection for the
finer vehicles in the coach barn.
_Gift of Mrs. Charles E. Tilton, of Tilton, New Hampshire._
[Illustration]
SKELETON-BOOT VICTORIA
_Body painted dark olive green, green gear. Trimmed in dark green._
The handsome victoria was well suited for the formal call and the
promenade on wheels. In 1877, Mrs. E. B. Duffey, in her _Ladies’ and
Gentlemen’s Etiquette_ book warned her readers that “morning calls
should not be made earlier than twelve noon, nor later than 5 P.M. and
the lady should be more richly dressed when calling on her friends than
for an ordinary walk.” A lady should “never lay aside her bonnet during
a formal call even though urged to do so.”
The rules were just as rigorous where her carriage was concerned. Her
coachman, stately in bearing, should be taller and more portly than the
footman, but he too should be of more than average height, thoroughly
well trained and preferably slim.
This victoria was built by Brewster and Company of New York in 1904.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration]
Photos above and below were taken in the courtyard of the coach barn at
Shelburne Farms about 1905 and show the victoria turned out, ready for
a formal call.
Fine carriages were never neglected. Each vehicle was thoroughly washed
off as soon as it came in the coach barn; grit was carefully removed
from hinges and joints; only the finest chamois were used to wipe dry
the painted panels. Linseed oil was applied to the folding leather
tops, and all metal parts on lamps and moldings were kept brightly
polished. This was routine care in well-regulated stables.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
VIS-À-VIS
_Body painted dark olive green, green gear. Trimmed in dark green._
The vis-à-vis was known as the sociable in England and appears with a
panel body (as in this example) or with a basket-work body. When it was
properly turned out, it was formally horsed with two horses of fifteen
hands each and carried either one or two “trim dapper servants,” the
groom being a trifle smaller and shorter, as it was not good taste to
have the groom or footman show more height on the box than the coachman.
_Given by the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
PRIVATE OMNIBUS
_Body painted dark olive green, green gear. Trimmed in green
leather._
The omnibus, one of the larger carriage types, was intended for owner
driving as well as coachman driving and could be used with two horses;
three horses abreast with an adjustment of the two poles, and for long
distances over heavy country roads; or (even though it did not class as
a proper four-in-hand vehicle) with four horses. At coursing and race
meets, the omnibus made an admirable and roomy grandstand.
The lazyback and cushion on the roof-seat were removed when the omnibus
was servant-driven unless the seat was needed for the transporting of
house servants. When the omnibus was temporarily transformed into a
four-in-hand and owner-driven, the servants in undress liveries rode
inside, with the owner and his guests occupying the box and roof-seats.
This omnibus was built in 1891 for Dr. and Mrs. Webb by Brewster and
Company, of New York.
_Given by the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration]
CALÈCHE
_Body painted dark olive green, green gear. Trimmed in morocco
leather and broadcloth._
The calèche was a grand carriage and belonged to the “state” order. As
Francis Underhill wrote in 1896: “It is not at all suited unless the
stable be supplied ... with numerous carriages. It is intended simply
for the most formal calling or for park work.” The horses required were
of the finest breeding, perfectly matched and with faultless manners.
The harness was elaborate and included breeching (that part of the
harness which passes around the hind quarters of the horse) and loin
straps.
This calèche was ordered in Paris, France by Dr. and Mrs. Webb in 1890
from the famed French carriage maker, Million et Guiet. It was used in
New York until about 1900 with the two superb Webb horses “Chilcat” and
“Chilcoot,” (17.1 and 17.2 hands respectively). After the death of one
of these perfectly matched big horses, the calèche stood unused in the
Webb coach barn for many years.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration: (Above) Watercolor of the calèche painted by Max
Klepper about 1895.]
[Illustration: (Below) Detail showing elaborate springing, carving
and C springs at rear of calèche. Note buckle for tension adjustment
of leather strap.]
[Illustration]
BERLIN
_Body painted dark olive green with deeper green trim, green gear.
Trimmed in green silk satin._
One of the first carriage forms, the berlin was invented about 1660 in
Germany, and much used on the European Continent for royal traveling
with two or four horses, two men on the box, two grooms standing on the
rear, and out-riders for protection.
When the berlin here illustrated was harnessed à la grande daumont, the
box was removed by loosening the bolts, and the mounted postillions
then drove from the two near side horses. The berlin was truly a
state carriage with its well-balanced lines and air of luxury without
ostentation.
This berlin was built for Dr. and Mrs. Webb in France by Million
et Guiet, and imported to America in 1890. It was used with the
marvelously matched Webb horses Chilcat (17.1 hands) and Chilcoot
(17.2) in New York.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration]
On the festive occasion in October of 1905 for Miss Frederica V. Webb’s
wedding to Mr. Ralph Pulitzer, the berlin was harnessed à la grande
daumont, with Mr. J. Watson Webb on the leader and Mr. W. Seward
Webb, Jr. on the wheeler. This equipage, with the two brothers riding
postillion for their sister, brought the bride and groom home to
Shelburne Farms from Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne after the
ceremony.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CARROLL COACH
_Black with white striping; gear is black with yellow striping.
Trimming: gold-on-gold damask._
An unusually fine example of a private coach of the mid-19th century,
made to carry six persons in addition to the coachman and footman.
The woodcarving trim on this coach, which originally was owned by
George W. Carroll of Carrollton, Isle of Wight County, Virginia, is of
especial note. The carved double leaf motif is in keeping with the size
of the coach. The _Coach Makers’ Illustrated Hand-Book_ in its
chapter on woodcarving warned that “The coach and carriage of smaller
dimensions will not admit of great boldness in design, but every
portion requiring decoration will admit of a well-conceived design and
delicacy of workmanship.”
This coach has an unusual amount of white striping on the body and the
carving has been emphasized by the addition of a white outline.
[Illustration]
FORMAL COACH
_Body painted dark green with black top. Trimmed in dark green
leather and broadcloth with dark green padded satin ceiling._
Traditionally, one of the first carriages in England was the coach
brought out of the Netherlands by a Dutchman as a gift to Queen
Elizabeth “who had been seven years a queen before she had any coach.”
The coach through the years maintained its place as the “chief of every
class,” and so while many vehicle-constructing concerns could add the
designation--“carriagebuilder”--after their business names, only a few
deserved the appellation--“coachmaker.”
This formal or dress coach was used in and around Bennington, Vermont.
It was built by Jas. Cunningham Sons & Co., Rochester, New York.
_Gift of the directors of the Henry M. Tuttle Company, of
Bennington, Vermont, in memory of Mr. Fred Stickles, for many
years president of that company._
[Illustration]
IRISH JAUNTING CAR
_Body and wheels painted black._
Also known as outside car, Irish side car, jogging cart. In 1889, the
Duke of Beaufort writing his volume on _Driving_ for the Badminton
Library Series pointed out that “the outside car, so common in the land
of Ireland itself, has made little way elsewhere. It may be described
as a dog cart body hung sideways, but the similitude goes no further,
for it is suspended on a pair of low wheels which revolve inside, or
rather under the body.... The driver sometimes sits on a separate seat
in front and at other times on one of the side seats. To ride on or
drive an Irish car requires a certain amount of teaching, training or
practice. Visitors from other countries are very apt to be thrown off
into the road if the driver is humorous or lively and turns a street
corner quickly; any stranger who rides on an Irish car ought to be
advised to hold fast and not relax his hold till he has safely ended
his drive.”
This car was made in Dublin, Ireland for Mr. William C. Indicott who in
1930 presented it to Mr. Charles Sumner Bird.
_Gift of Mr. Charles Sumner Bird of East Walpole,
Massachusetts._
[Illustration]
HANSOM CAB
_Body painted black; gear painted red. Trimmed in black leather._
Joseph Hansom, the inventor, patented this type of cab (which is the
shortened form of cabriolet) in 1834. Forder, another coachbuilder,
redesigned it in 1873 and it became a popular carriage for hire, both
in this country and in even greater numbers in England where it was
known as the “gondola of London.” Limited amounts of luggage could
be carried on top of the cab and in the space between the apron and
dashboard.
This hansom, as evidenced by the baggage rail on the roof, was a public
conveyance, but these vehicles also found a place in town stables as
private cabs during the latter years of the 19th century. Essentially a
man’s carriage for town use, they were often finished in flash colors.
The servant who drove the private hansom wore a dark cutaway, trousers
and high felt or derby hat. In cold weather he was supplied with a
cloth overcoat and a lap rug; in rainy weather an “upper benjamin” or
poncho-like garment in a waterproof material and a weather-apron to
protect his trousers.
COACHING AND OTHER FOUR-IN-HAND VEHICLES
[Illustration]
ROAD COACH “LIBERTY”
_Body painted maroon and black, red wheels. Trimmed in leather._
This famous road coach LIBERTY was built in Paris by Million et Guiet
and is a reproduction of the old royal mail coaches used in England. It
was built especially for Mr. James Hazen Hyde, one of the outstanding
“whips” of the coaching revival, who had it brought over here and
ran it as a public road coach from Holland House in New York city to
Laurel-in-the-Pines, Lakewood, New Jersey.
In 1901 Mr. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and Mr. Hyde made a record run in
the LIBERTY to Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia from Holland House in New
York and return in the time of 19 hours and 35 minutes. Seventy-eight
horses spaced along the route were used in this record-breaking run.
The LIBERTY was also driven up the St. Bernard’s Pass to the Monk’s
Monastery in Switzerland by Mr. Hyde, a feat which more than justified
his claim to the title “gentleman coachman.”
_Gift of Mr. J. Ford Johnson, New York, New York._
[Illustration:
(_Courtesy New York Historical Society, New York City_)
(Above) Road coach LIBERTY crossing the bridge near Turkey Blue
Ball, New Jersey on its New York-to-Lakewood run. Watercolor by
Max Klepper painted 1903, one of a series of twelve showing the
different views along the route. These paintings may be seen at
the New York Historical Society--gift of Mr. James Hazen Hyde.]
[Illustration: (Below) Pen and ink water color by Crafty
showing the road coach LIBERTY in France. Gift of Mr. James
Hazen Hyde to Shelburne Museum.]
[Illustration]
PARK DRAG
_Body painted dark olive green, green gear. Interior trimming is in
green leather; exterior trimming is in tan cord._
The park drag resembles the road coach but is a lighter vehicle and is
intended for four-in-hand driving by the owner-coachman for his own
amusement and that of his friends.
The Coaching Club of New York each year sponsored Meets for their
members. Sometimes these drives occupied an hour or so and the coaches
returned to point of departure and there separated; on other occasions
the coaches went to some out-of-town place for lunch or dinner and
returned independently.
Fairman Rogers in his _Manual of Coaching_ (1899) mentions the
placement of passenger load for these Meets: “The wife of the owner, if
he has one, takes the box-seat (with him); two ladies and two men on
the front roof-seat, the back of the hind roof-seat is turned down and
the two grooms are in the rumble ... in the case of mourning, when the
wife of a member does not, for that reason, wish to appear at the Meet,
a lady takes her place, or the load is made up of men only.”
[Illustration]
“The only occasion on which the wife of the owner, if she is on the
coach at all, is not on the box-seat, is when a very distinguished
personage such as the President of the United States takes that seat on
the leading coach. If the owner is unmarried, the lady on the box is
usually one of his own family.”
The photograph above taken in Central Park, New York, shows Dr. and
Mrs. Webb on the box at the commencement of one of the Coaching
Parades. In the lower picture, Miss Frederica V. Webb (daughter of Dr.
and Mrs. W. Seward Webb) handles the “ribbons” for the Ladies’ Coaching
Parade. Her brother, Mr. J. Watson Webb, is on the box-seat with her.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
ROAD COACH “DEFIANCE”
_Body painted black with red gear. Varnished interior; wicker
seats._
The DEFIANCE was built by Brewster and Company, New York for Mr. C.
Ledyard Blair, father of the donor, and belonged to him over a period
of nearly 50 years. Originally painted in his colors, primrose and
black, the coach was driven in many parades and on coaching club trips.
In 1935 Mr. Blair presented this coach to Mr. Richard V. N. Gambrill,
husband of the donor, and at that time it was repainted in the regular
Gambrill colors.
These coaches were copies of the earlier English mail coach and
each was given its own name. Points of departure, destination and
intermediate towns were painted in bright colors to a set pattern, and
the names “Vernon Manor, Peapack, Gladstone, Far Hills and Bedminster”
appear on this coach.
_Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr. Richard
V. N. Gambrill_
[Illustration]
SKELETON BREAK
_Body and gear painted bright yellow with black._
The skeleton break (or brake) was used to exercise the four-in-hand
team and also for breaking the team to harness. The driver’s seat was
placed high and this offered him some protection in his dangerous task
of putting-to and subduing the horses when they first commenced their
team work. Youngsters or fresh horses would be put-to in double harness
to a break with an old and reliable specially trained “break horse” or
“schoolmaster.” An additional stable-helper would usually stand on the
front platform holding on behind the box so that he was free to jump
easily on or off as occasion demanded, thus leaving the driver free to
cope with his inevitable problems brought on by the high spirits of the
fresh “young one.”
This skeleton break was built by Brewster and Company of New York.
_Gift of Mr. F. Ambrose Clark of Cooperstown, New York._
[Illustration]
BODY BREAK WITH PERCH
_Body painted dark olive green, green gear. Trimmed in tan cord._
The break (or brake) was a most useful adjunct to establishments where
four horses were kept, as it could be used to exercise the team, or as
an alternative to the road coach for four-in-hand work when the road
coach or drag would be considered too “dressy.” This type of break was
also known as a wagonette break.
It was most often used with four horses, although in the country the
unicorn team (three horses, one leader and two wheelers) was sometimes
used. The break was a most spacious, roomy and useful carriage for
station or other rough work. Here the seat length has been curtailed to
make room for the additional forward-facing seat which is removable.
This break was built by Brewster and Company of New York and the Webb
coat-of-arms has been incorporated on either side in the center spindle.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration: Photo above shows Dr. W Seward Webb with his son J.
Watson Webb on the box with him, and his daughter Frederica on the side
lengthwise seat. This picture of the body break was taken about 1886
or 1887 at Oakledge, the Webb home in Burlington, Vermont, before they
moved to Shelburne.]
[Illustration: In the photograph below, taken about 1903 at Shelburne
Farms, the body break is harnessed with four of the first home-bred
half-breed hackneys out of native mares.]
CARRIAGES OF AMERICAN ORIGIN
[Illustration]
THREE-SEAT SURREY
_Body painted dark green, green gear. Trimmed in tan canvas._
Because of its great popularity the surrey was stocked even at
mail-order houses during the latter part of the 19th and early years of
the 20th century. As today there is an automobile for each American,
no matter what his financial standing, so in those days there was
a carriage manufactured especially for his needs, and one of the
mail-order houses advertised that its volume of business was so great
that it expected to make only $1 profit on its least expensive model.
The hit song of the musical comedy _Oklahoma_ was the “Surrey
with the Fringe on Top” and this vehicle, a particularly elegant and
sophisticated version of the surrey, answers that description.
[Illustration]
EXTENSION-TOP SURREY
_Body painted dark olive green, striped with red. Trimmed in
black._
The extension-top used on this surrey was later incorporated into the
early auto designs.
This surrey was built in Burlington, Vermont by J. R. and J. H.
Lockwood and was used in and around this community for many years by
the Wells family, who were connected with the manufacture of dyes and
patent medicine. The Wells and Richardson Company commenced business in
1872 and seven years later began an intensive advertising program for
their then little-known remedy, “Kidney-Wort.” In 1881 they invested
$150,000 in direct advertising--a phenomenal sum at that time, but the
sales justified the expenditure, as they mounted to over half-a-million
dollars that year. Wells and Richardson also manufactured Diamond Dyes
and “Improved Butter Color” and these products earned a world-wide
reputation for this Burlington, Vermont business concern.
[Illustration]
DEPOT WAGON OR CURTAIN ROCKAWAY
_Body painted black with red gear. Trimmed in black broadcloth._
There were many types of rockaways, but the distinguishing feature of
this vehicle is the roof which projected over the driver, assuring him
of some protection in inclement weather.
This depot wagon or curtain rockaway also has the enameled leather
curtains which could be rolled up on fine days, and yet dropped quickly
for protection if caught out in a shower. After a rain storm, the
curtains were dressed with sweet or sperm-oil rubbed on with a greased
rag, and with proper care, they proved durable and remained pliable for
many years.
This vehicle was used particularly to take guests to and from the
railway station in suburban Philadelphia, but it also served for
shopping expeditions. It was built by Horace Ervien, of Ogontz,
Pennsylvania.
_Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Lippincott, Jenkintown,
Pennsylvania_
[Illustration]
COUPÉ ROCKAWAY
_Dark green, striped with red. Trimmed with leather seat, green satin
roof interior and padded seat back._
The rockaway was a popular close carriage of both the affluent and not
so wealthy American family; in the year 1900, for instance, only 846
broughams (a comparable close carriage) were built as compared with
3,166 rockaways turned out that year.
This vehicle is elegantly fitted out with leather card case, as well
as clock case built into the interior lining. It was used by the Wells
family of Burlington, Vermont, and was a product of Kimball Brothers
Company, Boston; Z. Thompson & Bros. Builders, Portland, Maine. The
Wells monogram painted in red on the door panel adds an extra touch of
tasteful decoration.
[Illustration]
SIX-PASSENGER ROCKAWAY
_Body painted dark green. Trimmed in eggshell corded broadcloth,
embroidered with green leaf motif on corded silk fabric._
Although in excellent condition, this rockaway is one of the older
vehicles in the collection and was used prior to 1858 by Gen. J. Watson
Webb. His daughter Catherine married James G. Benton of the U.S.
Army Ordnance Department in 1858, and the Bentons used the rockaway
when they lived in Washington, D. C. Benton, a West Point graduate,
was the author of many valuable reports on ordnance and wrote the
course of instruction in ordnance and gunnery used by the cadets at
the U.S. military academy. Col. Benton’s experiments on a new type of
rifled musket led to the development of the Springfield rifle, and he
superintended the construction of the early models of this gun at the
Springfield Armory where he served as commanding officer.
_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward
Webb_
[Illustration]
BUCKBOARD PHAETON
_Natural color varnished body. Trimmed in tan cord, black leather
top._
This buckboard was made by Joubert & White of Glens Falls, New York and
was used by Dr. Webb in this community for many years.