Five Books To Add To Your Carriage Research Shelf

The Carriage Association of American and our sister organization, Carriage Museum of America, often receive research requests. Perhaps the most frequent question both of us receive is “who made my carriage and how old is it?” Tips for finding maker tags, monograms, etc can be found at Tips for Researching Your Carriage. Sometimes the providence of a carriage is known but less is know about the type of carriage. Here are list of our top go-to books for learning more about carriages and their accessories.

Carriage Terminology : An Historical Dictionary by Don. H. Berkebile

Seriously, we can’t say enough good things about this book. Don Berkebile was a curator at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Institute published this book in 1978. It is full of black and white illustrations along with easy to understand descriptions of every type of vehicle under the sun. It is out of print but used copies can still be found. Horse-Drawn Commerical Vehicles and American Carriages, Sleighs, Sulkies and Carts are also well illustrated books from Don. H. Berkebile.

Moseman’s Illustrated Guide for Purchasers of Horse Furnishing Goods: Novelties and Stable Appointments

The Sun Bonnet was sold by C. M. Moseman & Brother of New York. It was made on a wire frame and had light striped muslin with fringe. The bonnet fastened by the frame wire running down into the cheek of the bridle, behind the rosette.

From hats to snaps, in 1892 C.R. Moseman and Brother were selling it. The original book, which sold for only one dollar, is huge and printed on heavy stock. It included 3,000 hand engraved illustrations. The 1976 reproduction is much lighter but it still contains thousands of illustrations of everything from parasol driving whips and metal bit burnishers to sleighing plumes. If you have an equine related items that you can’t identify this book is a great starting point.

Driving for Pleasure: Or, The Harness Stable and Its Appointments By Francis T. Underhill

If you are looking for exact information regarding appointments, horses, harness and harnessing, bits and bitting, the stable, and other matters, then this is the book for you. Steve Holm, an experienced coachman, says, “Through the years I have found it to be invaluable! ” Museum professionals may find it helpful in setting up coaching dioramas, docents may find interesting tidbits to add to their repertoire and those looking to show their horses will learn what the judge should be looking for. It is not a light read but when you get done you should have a firm understanding of tandem and four-in-hand driving. Best of all Driving for Pleasure is available for free through Google Books. You may also enjoy The Private Stable: Its Establishment, Management, and Appointments by James Albert Garland which is also available through Google Books.

The Elegant Carriage by Marylian Watney

How many people today can tell a cocking cart from a cabriolet, a buggy from a britchka, a landau from a liverpool, a dormeuse from a dioropha? Most of us count ourselves pretty scientific if we can distinguish between a hansom and a hearse. Originally printed in 1961, this little book, now on its fourth printing, helps you learn the features that make each vehicle type special. With a price point around $10.00 it is an affordable way to learn the backstories attached to many carriages. The focus is on European vehicles but many of them, such as the Dog Cart and the Park Phaeton, are also very popular in the States. This is an easily digestible book that is often overlooked.

American Horse-Drawn Vehicles by Jack Rittenhouse

Published in 1948, this is great go-to books for American vehicles. There is no discussion of makers (although there are a number of illustrations featuring the Owensboro Wagon Co. logo) here, it is all about types of vehicles. In fact the subtitle is: Being a Collection of Two Hundred and Eighteen Pictures Showing One Hundred and Eighty-Three American Vehicles (and Parts Thereof) All Reproduced From Fashion Plates of the Builders or from Little-Known Original Photographs. There are some images like the Oil Pipe Gear (for use on oil fields) and the Turpentine Wagon (that was used in the South to hauling barrels of turpentine) that are truly rare. It is one of the few places were a Dray with Stake Sides can be found in the same book as a Round Bottom Brett.

Beet Sugar Gear – especially designed for hauling large loads of sugar beets from the fields. Could be used with horses, mules, or a train of four or five vehicles could be coupled and drawn by a traction engine. Page 65 of American Horse-Drawn Vehicles by Jack Rittenshouse.

Honorable Mention

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World on Wheels 2015

This edition of World on Wheels includes “Shedding Light on Carriage Lamps” by Rick Bischoff. If you’re interested in carriage lamps then this is the article that you’ve been looking for. Rick does a fantastic job of explaining the different types of lamps and when they are appropriate to use.

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Horse-Drawn Funeral Vehicles

Complete with 800 illustrations there is a lot happening in this book. It is the arguably the most comprehensive book to be published on horse-drawn funeral vehicles, including hearses, undertaker’s wagons, embalmer’s wagons, pall-bearer’s coaches and florist wagons.

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Horse Drawn Sleighs

The book covers almost every imaginable type of sleigh: Albany (or swell-body), Portland cutters, speeding cutters, multi-passenger, box-body, traps and sporting sleighs, Canadian, rumble-seat, cabriolets, vis-a-vis, closed-body, and more. The information is compiled from The Hub.