Dog-cart Phaeton

shanksdogcart
Serial No. 2457
F & R Shanks
London
Circa 1905

Type:
Dog carts were originally two-wheel carriages, of course, but a four-wheel version appeared in Britain during the first half of the 18th century and was called a “dog-cart phaeton.” An example of the early type can be seen in Charles Cooper Henderson’s print “Going to the Moors.” Most of these carriages had louvers in the sides, and gun dogs could be carried under the rear seat. They were made in a variety of shapes and sizes. Many were made on a perch carriage, presumably so that they could be used when posting. An alternative name is “four-wheel dog cart,” and a few firms used special names of their own.

Provenance:
Bertram Mills, a well-known British coaching personality and circus proprietor, sold this phaeton in 1937 to Adrian van Sinderen of Washington, Connecticut, together with the newly-built pony road coach, The Old Berkeley, and a team of four Welsh ponies of a red roan color. After Mr. Van Sinderen died in 1967, the coach and the phaeton were bought by Whitney Stone and taken to his estate, “Morven,” in Charlottesville, Virginia. The phaeton was bought privately by Mr. Seabrook from the estate of Mrs. Anne Stone, widow of Whitney Stone, in 1988.

Builder:
Refer to description of the Shanks mail phaeton.