Phaeton - another vehicle

Posted by RogerV on July 11, 1998 at 02:11:51:

I hear you saying "arg! there he goes again with that vehicle business," but please bear with me for a little longer!

In the photos section I have uploaded a print of two ladies driving a "Phaeton and two," meaning the carriage was being pulled by two horses. Apparently, a Phaeton had four wheels, but seating for only two (or three at most) and no top.

Looking at the picture, I am curious as to how accurately it has been rendered, as you will notice that the floor of the carriage is actually higher than the horses' backs. This would make for a rather topheavy vehicle, and even though there appears to be a step of some sort on the side, it is far too high for a lady to reach from the ground. So, if this picture is accurate, the ladies would have needed a stand or step just to get into the carriage. This of course brings up the question of how they were supposed to dismount when they arrived at their destination...

There also appears to be no brake on the phaeton, but possibly brakes were a later refinement.

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REPLIES:

• phaetons Laura W 16:13:07 7/12/98 (2)
  • Uploads Roger V 20:40:57 7/12/98 (1)
    • yup, those are both the ones I was thinking of! nfm Laura W 21:56:03 7/12/98 (0)
• a man's vehicle P. Bingham 16:10:29 7/11/98 (4)
  • Re: Phaeton The Mysterious H.C. 23:04:12 7/11/98 (3)
    • Man loose with scanner.... look out! Roger V 23:34:07 7/11/98 (2)
      • more phaeton... and curricle P. Bingham 20:30:11 7/14/98 (1)
        • Thanks, Patricia! Noted. nfm Laura W 23:45:15 7/15/98 (0)
• Vehicles and questions Lou 12:27:30 7/11/98 (1)
  • Phaetons, curricles, post coaches.... Roger V 13:34:05 7/11/98 (0)

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