carriage collections

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February 6, 2015

Bermuda

Posted by Jennifer under Bermuda, CAA events, carriage collections, travel / destinations
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A group of us — CAA Board Members, CAA members, and friends and family members who didn’t want to miss out on the experience — are enjoying several days in Bermuda, where, as you might imagine, the beaches are GORGEOUS …
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As part of Thursday evening’s group activity, we all gathered at the home of one of the local CAA members to meet his family’s horses and ponies, and view their carriage collection …

And we were fortunate to see a display of “hats through history” … a display that included information about all the various styles of hats over the years, historic photos of Bermudians in hats, and examples like the ones below, all handmade using local materials … plants, in fact.

October 21, 2014

an original Brewster coach

Posted by Jennifer under carriage collections, carriages / carriage types, coaching, reference
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One of the vehicles up for auction at last weekend’s Martin Auctioneers carriage sale was an original-condition Brewster coach. It was described in the catalog as a Park Drag, but it appears to be bigger and heavier and perhaps more akin to a Road Coach … and the boot opens the “wrong” way for a Park Drag (from the side instead of from the top). But, regardless, it was an original-condition thing of beauty.

Here are some photos of the coach (taken with the camera on my phone in less-than-ideal lighting, so please excuse the low quality) …

We have views of the toe-board lamp, a view and a detail of one side lamp, and a bit of the other side lamp with its glass turned around for daytime; both doors, one with the window down and the other with the shutter up; details of a rear wheel and the undercarriage; a (dark!) view of the original upholstery, a look at the coach lace on the door, and the Brewster name plate on the inside of one of the doors.

December 4, 2013

restored to its former splendor

Posted by Jennifer under carriage collections, carriages / carriage types
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I’m always receiving news items from CAA members for the association’s weekly e-newsletter. So when I get an email with the subject line “Member e-News,” I usually just file it away until the next Wednesday morning, when I prepare that week’s issue.

When I opened the email from a CAA member in Belgium this morning, I found ten splendid photos. I have room for just one of them in the newsletter, but they’re too gorgeous not to share, so I’m posting them all here.

Here’s the story, as it will appear in today’s newsletter:

“CAA member Patrick Schroven (a carriage restorer in Belgium) wrote to announce that his firm has finished the restoration of their Dress Chariot by Fr. Flack of Vienna. The project took 3,900 hours to complete! Patrick wrote, ‘The carriage is set in our stable colors of cobalt blue with golden yellow, and the panels bear our family coat of arms and crest. The pure silk cloth for the interior upholstery, an exact copy from a royal carriage, was specially woven for us and the matching broadlace is true ‘épinglé’ carriage lace. This is a beautiful example of a late-nineteenth-century state vehicle and a fine addition to our private collection.'”

Curious about CAA membership (which includes subscriptions to our magazine, The Carriage Journal, and our weekly e-newsletter)? Visit the CAA’s website to learn more!

October 15, 2013

the CAA visits Long Island

Posted by Jennifer under CAA events, carriage collections
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This past weekend, a group of more than fifty CAA members gathered in Long Island, New York, for a special tour.

On Friday afternoon, the group enjoyed a special and behind-the-scenes tour of the spectacular new carriage galleries at the Long Island Museum of Art, History and Carriages.

Here, the entrance to one of the impressive new galleries …

Curator Joshua Ruff showed the group some of the details on the Tally Ho coach …

Then, during an all-day outing on Saturday, the group visited the “Castle Gould” Carriage House and Stables, the Nassau County carriage collection, the Huntington Historical Society’s barn, the historic Old Field Farm showgrounds, and the historic Octagon Barn (shown below) at the Knox School.

To learn more about membership in the Carriage Association of America, including wonderful travel, tour, and learning opportunities like this one, see the CAA’s website.

September 20, 2013