Carriage Museum of America

The handsomely decorated stalls of George W. Jackson at the South Shore Horse Show, Chicago. From Bit & Spur, October 15, 1907.

The Dangerous Life of a Stagecoach Driver in Georgian England 'The Dangerous Life of a Stagecoach Driver in Georgian England'Mike Loades goes behind the mask to uncover the brutal truth about the myth of the highwayman....

Today we wish a very happy 103rd birthday to CMA Chairman Emeritus and Carriage Association Past President and Honorary Life Director Stewart Morris Sr. Happy Birthday Stewart!

Interested in Livery? One of our best references in the collection is this rare Handbook of Livery published in 1900 by Roger's & Peet, New York, donated by Barry Dickinson.

If collectors or researchers are aware of other Livery makers or tailors catalogs showing Livery whether from New York, London, Paris, etc. we would love to add copies of them to our collection.

A Handbook of Livery from Rogers Peet & Company 1900 : Rogers, Peet & Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive A Handbook of Livery including many pictures and much useful information as well as an illustrated index of carriages from Rogers, Peet & Co., New York.  1900.

A fledgling four-in-hand driver interested in obtaining a Coach after 1920 often found his (or her) way to Guy Ward, a professional who had worked for Frank Sturgis and Jack Bowman. Museums at this time were not interested in collecting carriages, so Mr. Ward rescued a number from barn lofts or bought them from former owners for almost nothing.

Among the newcomers to Guy Ward's carriage barn in the 1930's was Mrs. Florence Evans Dibble (later Mrs. Bushee), owner of Oldtown Hill Farm in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Mrs. Dibble loved horses and was well known in the horse show world but owning and driving a Coach and four had never occurred to her until her new stable manager, Thomas Fay Walsh, suggested it.
"We could use the saddle horses in a Coaching team," he suggested, and his employer readily agreed.

Ward showed them several Coaches, and Mrs. Dibble picked one she thought looked suitable for a lady to drive. It was a Coach made by Million Guiet in Paris in 1892, the year that William G. Tiffany, Eugene Higgins, T. Suffern Tailer, and James Gordon Bennett drove just such a Coach from Paris to Trouville.

The next stop was Cavanaugh's, where Mrs. Dibble ordered a grey top hat, then departed for a tailor to order a double-breasted covert cloth coat suitable for Coaching. Unlike the dressy feminine whips who preceded her, Mrs. dibble dressed in slacks and a top hat when she drove. Her eagerness to drive her new Coach would have warmed the hearts of the earlier Coaching experts, even though her costume was a departure from their beloved traditions.
Find here Mrs. Dibble and her Coach arriving to the Newburyport airport carrying the first load of airmail from the local post office. She pulled alongside the biplane to the delight of local photographers to transfer the mail from Coach to Plane.

Excerpt from the series "Coaching in America" by Elizabeth Toomey Seabrook, printed in The Carriage Journal, Volume 4, 1967, with photos from the CAA/CMA Archives.

Nine carriages and a very rare Singer 67-1 Dash and Fender Sewing Machine from CMA's storage facility will be included in Martin's Fall Auction on October 14.

Click here for more information on these vehicles. Contact Martin Auctioneers directly for details about the auction.

https://www.carriagelibrary.org/martins-2022

We join the world in mourning the loss of a great horsewoman, an accomplished whip, and a unwavering patron of driving. Thank you, Ma'am.

Registration and program details are available for the Attingham Trust (UK) Conference 'The Horse and the Country House:
Art, Politics and Mobility' to be held at Madingley Hall, University of Cambridge 18 - 19 November 2022.

https://www.attinghamtrust.org/the-horse-and-the-country-house/

The Attingham Trust is an educational charitable trust which offers specialized courses in the study, care and interpretation of historic houses and palaces and their collections.

From the CAA/CMA Archives: Baron and Baroness Casier with their Break de Chasse by Snutsel, Bruxelles. 1976.

"Marden Striplight", George Newman's winning gig horse at the Royal Winter Fair, Toronto, 1976.

With great sadness, the CMA joins the rest of the carriage community to mourn the loss of Jack D. Pemberton. A prolific supporting or driving, he leaves behind a legacy that will not be soon forgotten. His enduring generosity, service and friendship will be sorely missed by us all.

Past CAA President (1965-1967), Jack D. Pemberton of Canada, passed away yesterday, aged 99.
Jack was an enormous supporter and promoter of carriage driving (from coaching to pleasure driving to combined driving) here in North America, but also around the world, as a popular judge and committee chair or member.
The CAA extends its sincere sympathy to Jack's family and his many (many) friends around the world. He will be missed.

A couple whimsical advertisements for light carriages from The Carriage Monthly, 1890's.

Another wonderful donation to the archives from Joe Scheidly. Here is an original factory photograph of a Spider Phaeton made by Healey & Co. Coachbuilders of New York. Photographs of actual new carriages fresh from the factory in all their "pristine perfection" (to quote Colonel Paul Downing who collected such images) are very rare. They can tell us details about the striping (where it was laid on, and where it was not), lining and trimming materials, appropriate lamps for given carriages and various other small details of finish which are lost in catalog pictures or drawings. These details are of inestimable value to the painstaking restorer.

Although undated, the photo is after 1889 as Healey advertises their Grand Prize won at the World's Fair in that year for carriage building.

The long tradition of coaching in Newport, Rhode Island continues this year, with A Weekend of Coaching set to begin August 19.

Find here a photo from a Coaching excursion from the cover of Rider & Driver magazine, August 28, 1915.

Banner Buggy of St. Louis, Missouri produced large, graphic catalogs. Find here some of the graphics from their catalog of 1912.

Today in the research library: digging up the history of J. M. Quinby & Co. of Newark, NJ.

Founded in 1834 by James Moses Quinby when he purchased the assets of the then-defunct Campfield & Hedenberg carriage builders. His firm later became one of the largest in New Jersey employing some 200 workmen in a large factory at 326 Broad Street in Newark. Quinby built up a large southern trade with branch factories in Montgomery, Alabama and Columbus, Georgia, but as he was loyal to the Union he abandoned all trade with his southern outlets during the Civil War.

Do you have a research inquiry? The library houses catalogs, books, archive materials, clippings, trade journals, photographs, and much more. Send us a research request or search our catalog via our website at carriagelibrary.org!

The stable staff of Mr. William Ziegler, Jr. pose with a Skeleton Break, from Rider and Driver, November 11, 1916.

Call all Collectors:

The library gets frequent requests for information regarding the carriages manufactured by Studebaker Bros. Mfg. Co. of South Bend, IN. Despite the company producing numerous catalogs and trade information we have little in the way of catalogs or documentation for light carriages.

If you have in your collection a catalog of light carriages from Studebaker, please consider sending us a photocopy! It would be invaluable to countless researchers and vehicle owners!

The Winners of the 2022 Concours d'Elegance at Keeneland Racecourse benefiting the Kentucky Children's Hospital. Congratulations to Joe Jennings for winning the class for carriages with his 1895 Brewster & Co. private road coach!

Congratulations to all the winners!
Here is the list of 2022’s winners:

Best of Show - 1931 Buick Model 8-94 Sport Roadster - David M. Landow

Judge’s Choice - 1947 Bentley Mark VI Figoni et Falaschi Coupe- John Shalhoub

Junior Judge’s Choice - 1958 Porsche Speedster 356 - Carl Iseman

People’s Choice - 2017 Lamborghini Aventador - Timothy Mathis Jr.

Children’s Choice - 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 Mark I

Artist Award – 1st place Winner – Bobbie Crews

Chairman’s Choice :

1931 Marion 16 LeBaron Bodies Coupe - Evergreen Historic Automobile –
Steve & Amy Plaster

1929 - Cord L-29 Cabriolet - Greg Ornazian

Smyles - Vintage Motorsport Museum - Steve Pieratt



Class 1 - Antiques thru 1924 - Winner - 1909 Buick Model 10 Surrey –
Tim & Betsy Turvey

Runner up - 1919 Templar 4-45 Roadster - Jerry & Lea Smith

Class 2 –Vintage 1925 - 1942 - Winner- 1929 Nash Model 421 Phaeton - Richard &
Sharon Cannon

Runner up - 1941 Cadillac Series 62 Deluxe Sedan Convertible- John & Crispin Menefee


Class 3 –CCCA 1915 – 1948 - Winner - 1935 Swallow side Car Co. (Jaguar S51
Coupe) – Eduardo Zavala & Michele Harris

Runner up – 1932 Cadillac 355B Phaeton - Ralph & Mimi Jackson


Class 4 –Coach Built Classics- Winner-1937 Packard Twelve Convertible Victoria - Larry & Carol Pumphrey

Runner up - 1939 Packard Sport Sedan - Gene & Sally Perkins



Class 5 – Collector American 1946 – 1975 “open” Convertibles and Roadsters -
Winner- 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang Convertible - Johnnie & Rachael Garner

Runner up-1959 Buick Roadmaster Convertible-Richard & Sara Sutherland


Class 6 – Collector American 1946 – 1975 “closed” Coupes and Sedans
Winner -1967 Chevrolet Nova II Sport Coupe - Fran Bailey

Runner up - 1967 Chevrolet Caprice Station Wagon - Carl Flick


Class 7 – European Sports - Winner- 1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica- Kevin Cogan - Cogan Collection

Runner up - 1958 Jaguar XK150 OTS- Tony Dehner & Beth Braden


Class 8 – Foreign Classics - Winner - 1967 Volvo 123 GT - Avery Wise

Runner up - 1955 MG TF 1500 -Phillip & Carla Scalf

Class 9 – Youngtimers - Winner - 1988 Ferrari Testarossa - Fred & Lori Rutherford

Runner up - 2000 Ferrari 360 Modena - Tim & Carrie Howard


Class 10- Chevrolet Corvette - Winner - 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Convertible - Jim Patterson II

Runner up – 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible –
Tom James

Class 11 – “American Performance” 1955 – 1979 - Winner - 1975 Buick Century
Indianapolis 500 Pace Car - Alan & Joy Oldfield

Runner up - 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 - Bill & Mary Ann Brown


Class 12 – Future Classics - Winner - 2020 Mercedes -AMG GT R-William Walker

Runner up -2019 McLaren 720S Performance - Justin Raybould

Class 13 – Loud & Furious - Winner - 1992 Acura NSX- Rebecca Johnson

Runner up - 2018 Lexus LC 500 - Nick Chaffin


Class 14- Carriages - Winner - 1895 Brewster & Co. Private Road Coach – Joe Jennings

Runner up -1890’s Albany Cutter Sleigh - Dr. Susan Orosz & Eric
Bergman

Class 17- Porsche – Air Cooled - Winner - 1990 Porsche 964 Carrera 2 Cabriolet-
Key & Felicia Wilson

Runner up - 1989 Porsche 930 Turbo - Steve McCombs

Class 18 - Porsche – Porsche – Water Cooled - Winner - 2008 Porsche Boxster S
Limited Edition - Kathie & Ted Hunter

Runner up- 2018 Porsche GT2 RS - John Gourley & Beck Kelly

Class 19 - Porsche – 356 - Winner - 1955 Porsche Speedster - Richard Mershad

Runner up - 1958 Porsche 356A Coupe - Russell Clarke & Lynda Hall

Class 20 - Porsche – Race Car - Winner - 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS –
James Diehl

Runner up- 2002 Porsche - Boxster S - Steven Bailey
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A research request has us digging into our 18th century collections today. Find here a wonderful old relic, a Landaulette, stated to bear an oval silver label "Leslie - Coachmaker - New Cavendish St. - London" formerly in the collection of Brewster & Co., New York. Reported to be the carriage in which the Marquis de Lafayette rode in Procession in Albany, September 20, 1824.

"The Consequence of Being Drove by a Gentleman" from the wonderful book Stage-Coach and Mail in Days of Yore : A Picturesque History of the Coaching Age by Charles G. Harper.

Available from archive.org here:

https://archive.org/details/stagecoachmailin02harp/page/n8/mode/1up

Another spectacular donation from Barry Dickinson: a Guard's Coat from the stables of Mr. J. J. Coogan of New York, made c. 1902 by Brooks Brothers.

A rare surviving example in black with gilt trim, a huge Thank You to Barry for sending it over!

Join us Saturday July 16th for the 19th Annual Keeneland Concours d'Elegance with the class for carriages sponsored by the CMA.

Purchase your tickets online ahead of time at https://keenelandconcours.com/keeneland-concours-delegance/

We are less than a week away from the 19th annual Keeneland Concours d’Elegance. What are you looking forward to seeing first? We hope this map might help you plan your visit. We can’t wait to see you at Keeneland on Saturday, July 16th!
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UK Kentucky Children's Hospital UK HealthCare

Seńor Miguel A. Martinez de Hoz, the son of Senor José Martinez de Hoz, who was an early pioneer of progress in Argentina, and, among other things, founder and first president of the Argentine Rural Society. Educated in England, he assumed the 41,000 acre family estate, Chapadmalal, in 1873 and spared no expense in the improvement of the native breeds of horses, cattle, and sheep by importing the best strains available. Devoting himself to mainly to shires, hackneys, polo ponies, shorthorn cattle, Lincoln sheep, and later to thoroughbreds, Don Miguel had on the estancia some two thousand horses, fifteen thousand head of cattle, twenty thousand Lincoln sheep, all derived from the very best English blood.

A keen breeder of Hackneys, he was one of the best known coachmen men of the day, having made frequent appearances at Olympia and Richmond with his well appointed coach and its team of Argentine hackneys bred at Chapadmalal. For some time he ran his own coach, the Defiance, between London and Guildford.

This week volunteer Kathy Courtemanche has come in to condition our sides of beautiful Mark Cross & Co. Russet harness made in 1912 for Matthew C. D. Borden. Thank you Kathy!

A new donation to the Library from Roger & Sue Murray:

High Noon for Coaches gives a vivid account of the opening up of road communication in the northern provinces of the South Island (New Zealand) when the coaching services were started on a large scale, and includes fascinating reminiscences by travelers, old coach drivers, and drivers of feed wagons. It is the story of how two enterprising and determined young men, Harry and Tom Newman, pioneered coaching south from Nelson in 1879, at a time when few wheeled vehicles had ventured over roads that had been hastily constructed to give access to the West Coast. It shows how they extended their services, turned to motor cars when the age of the horse was passing, and then to modern motor coaches, and extended south and east to Caneterbury and Marlborough, and into the North Island to produce the present road transport organization, which is the largest private concern of its kind in New Zealand.

Catalog of 'La Carrosserie Industrielle - Grande Manufacture de Voitures,' c. 1897. This beautifully colored catalog is from "La Carrosserie Industrielle" a large manufacturer of carriages in Paris formed in 1882 by Messrs. Rheims and Auscher, employing 1200 workers. This item is also in the French National Library (Bibliothèque Nationale de France) where it has been digitized. Link Below:

https://bibliotheques-specialisees.paris.fr/ark:/73873/pf0001980688.locale=en

A photo from the early days of combined driving when antique vehicles were used, from the 1972 FEI competition at The Royal Agricultural Show at Stoneleigh Park, Great Britain.

From the 1972 British Driving Society Journal, a recent donation from Robin Bledsoe.

New Acquisition!

Former CMA Librarian Susan Green has just released her exhaustive two-volume 'Susan's Encyclopedia of Animal Powered Vehicles'. Full of illustrations, beautifully bound in two hardcover volumes, and combining the terms featured in previous attempts to catalog carriage terminology starting with William Felton's 1794 'Treatise on Carriages' through more recent scholarly reference works such as Don Berkebile's 1978 'Carriage Terminology: An Historical Dictionary,' Susan's Encyclopedia will be replacing the well-worn edition of 'Carriage Terminology' on the CMA quick-reference shelf!

Thank you very much to Susan for her years of work on this book which will be a wonderful resource for generations to come.

The late HRH The Princess Margaret driven by Captain (later Major) G. G. R. Boon. From "The History of the Royal Army Service Corps and Royal Corps of Transport Coach 1920-1971" by Sir Harold Reginald Kerr.

Who doesn't love a beautiful old barn?

The September 1902 edition of 'The Architectural Review' published numerous plans for Stables, Carriage Houses, and Outbuildings, some small, some opulent. It has been digitized by Hathitrust and is available through our online catalog:

https://carriagemuseum.pastperfectonline.com/library/7A6F265C-2D68-4B0A-856C-632844377194

A tongue-in-cheek handout of 'Notes for Novice Road Coach Passengers' by John M. Seabrook. From the archives of the Carriage Association of America/Carriage Museum of America.

In honor of today's Kentucky Derby, find here the running of the English Derby at Epsom Downs Racecourse, 1909, from the cover of Rider & Driver Magazine, June 12, 1909. Notice the coach in the lower right serving as grandstand seating (with the imperial providing a nice, high perch), and in this case a billboard for a bookmaker's odds. The race was won by HM the King's Horse 'Minoru.'

At the turn into the straight, Minoru was in fourth place, but the horse Sir Martin, who had been traveling extremely well, stumbled in close quarters and lost his rider (you can see Sir Martin in this photo, riderless, down the field) which badly interfered, allowing Minoru to come forward and win by a head. Minoru's victory was the first English Derby win for a reigning British monarch, with HM the King receiving many congratulatory telegrams, his favorite reportedly being one which arrived from Argentina (where Minoru's sire hard retired to stud) stating simply ""Minoru, England. Congratulations from your father– Cyllene."

Minoru stood as a stallion at Hall-Walker's Tully Stud in County Kildare, Ireland at an initial fee of 98 guineas. Minoru produced the excellent broodmare Serenissima before being sold in 1913 to a breeding operation in Russia. Minoru disappeared during the turmoil of the 1917 Russian Revolution along with his racecourse rival Louviers and the 1913 Derby winner Aboyeur. Although there was speculation that he survived after being smuggled to Serbia, no trace of him was ever actually found.

Behold: Glorious Colors!

A rare French language work by Parisian coach painter Paul Cognard, published c. 1900-1904, which features no less than 64 brilliantly colored examples of striping examples for carriages. Of inestimable value to the restorer, these samples have been well preserved here in this book away from degrading UV light.

“Traité Théorique et Pratique de Peinture en Voitures A l’Usage des Peintres de Voitures et des Carrossiers” (“Theoretical and Practical Treatise on Carriage Painting for the use of Car Painters and Coachbuilders") by Paul Cognard.

Our overhead book scanner does not do the colors justice, but we shall endeavor to have these wonderful examples more accurately reproduced in the coming months.

Have a question about appropriate livery for the upcoming show season? There are many resources at your disposal.

Your Carriage Association of America, Inc. Membership comes with a myriad of benefits, including access to the "Members Only" section of the CAA website which includes 50+ educational videos, including a Barry Dickinson's fascinating in-depth presentation on Livery in the "Video of the Week" section.

Join today, or go to the CAA website at www.caaonline.com

In the CMA/CAA archives, our section on Livery includes 'The Cutter's Practical Guide' by W. D. F. Vincent which you can click the link below and read. It provides a brief history of Livery, as well as cutting patterns.

https://carriagemuseum.pastperfectonline.com/library/1B82DF77-61F8-4C85-812D-857992043060

Also in the CMA collection (and readable online) is "A Handbook of Livery" by the famous taloring house of Robers, Peet & Co., New York. This guide shows appropriate livery for formal and country turnouts, and a guide based on the carriages used.

https://carriagemuseum.pastperfectonline.com/library/C2680057-52E9-4B8A-8EBC-190814523807

This week has been spring cleaning week here at the CMA. Find here a pencil etching marked "Mat from coachman's seat of the "Lightening" found amongst many papers from historian and long-time editor of The Carriage Journal, Col. Paul H. Downing.

Discovered in the CMA/CAA Archives: an undated photo of an unknown carriage factory.

Next week as 80,000 people to descend on the Kentucky Horse Park for the much anticipated return of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, the CMA will be closed (April 25-29) for inventory, but open to visitors by appointment only. Please send us an email if you would like to set up an appointment to visit the library and archives next week. Thank you!

In addition to the records of carriage builders and carriage history housed in the Ken Wheeling Archives, the CMA/CAA collection has a growing number of photographs from driving events around the world. Personal albums donated by CAA members over the years are an important part of the history of the sport of driving.

Find here from one such photo from a donated album of a beaming Cynthia Haydon driving a team of Hackneys owned by Chauncey Stillman to Mr. Stillman's Park Drag at the CAA Conference at Newport, Rhode Island, 1968.

The coaches will return to Newport this August 19-21 for the Weekend of Coaching benefitting the Preservation Society of Newport County.

https://www.newportmansions.org/events/a-weekend-of-coaching