Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Brougham, c. 1907-1917 |
Object Name |
Brougham |
Description |
Brougham, c. 1907-1917. Carriage seats four passengers and has a hardwood body, enclosed doors, windows, curtains and upholstered floor coverings intact. Seats face opposite each other. Driver seat outside. Elaborate silver door latches, black upper body, dark green bottom panesl with yellow striping. Interior silk and leather. Exterior is painted black with a green undercarriage. There is ornate woodwork on axels. Interior walls are lined with tufted upholstery. Small round 'porthole' window in back. Part of the San Mateo County Historical Association's carriage collection. This is a particularly refined Brougham. It has a round arch panel. There is a carpet covered lid below the fall curtain of the coachman’s seat that opens to small, slotted storage compartment with a leather pouch. The body is dark green with black molding, with fine yellow striping. The undercarriage is dark green with yellow and light green striping. The decorative exterior door handles are silver plated. The monogram "JT" is painted on an oval boss on the crest panel. It has an extended front with additional glass windows. Lamp brackets are mounted on its pillars. There is a leather handled hand brake at the coachman’s seat. The interior is trimmed with tufted black satin on the ceiling and interior panels. The seats and backs are leather. The doors are covered in leather that is seamed in a pattern with wool pom-pom tufts at the intersections. There is a pebbled leather visiting card case on the door as well as a net headed pneumatic call that sounds a whistle attached to the exterior to summon the coachman. The coach lace is blue and dark green. The interior carpet is on top of a padded leather floor. The door latch, lifter knobs and interior drop handle are amber-colored Bakelite, a synthetic plastic invented in 1907. The round window in the back panel is covered with tufted silk satin. It has dark green silk satin roll up shades that could be drawn for additional privacy. |
Date |
c. 1907-1917 |
Catalog Number |
1975.236.010 |
Collection |
3D - Land Transportation Tools & Equipment |
Creator |
Studebaker Bros. |
Role |
Manufacturer |
Inscription Text |
"48" (stamped on seat) |
Provenance |
From the Holbrook-Palmer Collection of the Town of Atherton. The level of refinement of this vehicle, and the monogram "JT" suggests it was made for Joseph Oliver Tobin (1878-1978). He was a son of the founder of Hibernia Savings & Loan, and was an avid horseman. He married Constance Marie de Young, whose father started the San Francisco Chronicle. In their wedding announcement, Tobin was described as coming from one of San Francisco’s "oldest and wealthiest families." |
Notes |
Broughams are formal vehicles that are coachman-driven. The coachman’s seat is outside of passenger interior. The Brougham was developed in the 1830s by Lord Henry Peter Brougham working with carriage makers Robinson, Cook and Rowley to create an enclosed vehicle that could be pulled by a single or a pair of horses. They were among the most popular types used in cities and towns for general transportation by wealthy owners. Although the design was fairly standard, there were several types that included extended fronts, small bodies, or with removable panels country use... Although the primary Studebaker factory was located at their 96-acre complex in South Bend, Indiana, they manufactured higher grade vehicles at their Chicago factory built in 1884 by architect Solon Spencer Beman (1853-1914) at 4105 Michigan Avenue. This is an example of the company’s finest grade of work, from overall design and construction to the fine details of its sumptuous interior. The paper label adhered to the seat under the coachman’s driving cushion confirms this was made in Chicago. It also warns about the dangers of ammonia fumes from the stable. Carriages were kept separate from stables that housed horses because of the damage ammonia fumes from urine caused to varnish. It also offers the caveat that the warranty is for its function as a private vehicle. Broughams were often purchased second hand and used as hacks for transporting the public. [Carriage Consultant Merri Ferrell 8/2021] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brougham_(carriage)] A brougham (pronounced "broom" or "brohm") was a light, four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage built in the 19th century.[1] It was either invented for Scottish jurist Lord Brougham or simply made fashionable by his example. It had an enclosed body with two doors, like the rear section of a coach; it sat two, sometimes with an extra pair of fold-away seats in the front corners, and with a box seat in front for the driver and a footman or passenger. Unlike a coach, the carriage had a glazed front window, so that the occupants could see forward. The forewheels were capable of turning sharply. A variant, called a brougham-landaulet, had a top collapsible from the rear doors backward.[2] In 19th-century London, broughams previously owned and used as private carriages were commonly sold off for use as hackney carriages, often displaying painted-over traces of the previous owner's coat of arms on the carriage doors. The special characteristics of the brougham bear a distinct similarity to the London Public Carriage Office's "Conditions of Fitness" for a vehicle intending to be licenced as a taxi cab. This carriage currently in storage and not available for viewing. "The prototype of the brougham was designed by Lord Peter Henry Brougham of England in 1838 and made by the London coach builder Robinson. These four-wheel enclosed vehicles for two or more passengers remained popular throughout the Carriage Era in Europe and the United States. Broughams were also used as public cabs for hire." [Museums at Stony Brook. The Carriage Collection. Stony Brook, New York: The Museums at Stony Brook, 1986. p.57] |
Dimensions |
H-79 W-70 D-139 inches |
Search Terms |
Holbrook-Palmer Carriage Atherton Carriages Horse Drawn Vehicles Tobin, Joseph Oliver |
Subjects |
Carriages & coaches Taxicabs Transportation |
People |
Holbrook-Palmer, Olive Tobin, Joseph Oliver |
Credit line |
Courtesy of the Town of Atherton |