Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Omnibus, 1901 |
Object Name |
Omnibus |
Description |
Omnibus, 1901. Black coach has an open seat at front for driver and an enclosed body for passengers with windows on all four sides. It has headlights on each side and gray rubber tires. Body 367 lbs., completed 1263 lbs. Has original glass and bell for the coachman. Maker: Brewster & Company, New York. Part of the San Mateo County Historical Association's carriage collection. |
Date |
May 16, 1901 |
Catalog Number |
1973.422 |
Collection |
3D - Land Transportation Tools & Equipment |
Creator |
Brewster & Company, NY |
Role |
Manufacturer |
Provenance |
-The specification number for this omnibus is 23147. Construction began in August 1900 and it was sold to H. B. Bourne in May 1901, and its design drawing is 4165. It was originally "rifle" green with fine "lines" (striping) on molding and the undercarriage had medium wide striping. The interior was green "pebble" (a pattern of graining) leather and the coachman’s seat was wool broadcloth. At some point in its history it was repainted with Mrs. Roth’s colors that included blue striping. [Carriage Consultant Merri Ferrell 8/2021] -From the Roth Collection at Filoli. -The Roth Collection is particularly significant as all of the carriages were built by one of the two Brewster firms in New York City, producers of the finest quality vehicles for America's leading families. The National Carriage Association in Staten Island has the original records of the Brewster Company. Since Roth carriages were produced for use in California, they evidence some special changes to adapt them to their owner's way of living. As of June 10, 1973, each carriage was in superb condition, never having been restored. Each carriage bears an individual registration number from the factory. The carriages were built almost entirely of wood, and many coats of paint were applied, each coat rubbed and polished until it was mirror-smooth. As the paint of that era dried slowly, there often was more than a week's wait between the application of coats. |
Notes |
Currently in storage and not available for viewing. "Brewster & Co. was founded by Henry Brewster, a son of James Brewster, a noted early-19th-century carriage builder at New Haven. Henry Brewster's firm was founded in 1856 and was first known as Brewster of Broome Street, New York, but changed the name to Brewster & Co. when its main office was moved to Broadway and 47th Street in 1874. Under the direction of John W. Britton, one of the partners in the firm, Brewster & Co. became the leading builder of high-class carriages in the U.S., and enjoyed the custom of most of the prominent personalities in New York society and elsewhere." [https://carriageassociationofamerica.com/carriage-tour/stanhope-gig/ 08/02/2018] Patterned after a French luxury vehicle and later used for public transportation (San Francisco's first stage is said to have been an old French omnibus). Popular in transporting theatre-goers since the convenient access made it easy for ladies in long gowns to alight. Opera buses were built in two sizes, to seat four or six passengers. |
Dimensions |
H-82 W-72 D-120 inches |
Search Terms |
Bourn, William Bowers II Carriage Carriages Filoli Horse Drawn Vehicles Roth, Lurline Matson Roth, William P (Mrs.) Transportation |
Subjects |
Buses Carriages & coaches Operas & operettas Transportation |
People |
Bourn, William Bowers II Roth, Lurline Matson |
Credit line |
Courtesy of Mrs. William P. Roth |