Gansevoort Phaeton

This phaeton is an excellent representation of pre-industrial craftsmanship. The body features emblematic crests at the footboard, back and sides. The curved or "cul de single" back terminates in a carved scroll motif. The folding steps slide under the body on an iron track. The pump handles are finished with carved rosettes. The interior is trimmed in white wool and white brocade broad lace. It has a folding leather top mounted on wooden bows and sockets. The dark yellow single perch and axles are chamfered and articulated with broad black striping. This phaeton is important as an artifact and through its association with celebrated former owners. It is reputed to have been imported from France in the 1780s by General Peter Gansevoort, a Revolutionary War hero from Albany, New York. It was given to American genre artist, Edward Lamson Henry by General Gansevoort's granddaughter, Mrs. Gansevoort Lansing. Henry, noted for his detailed depictions of early American life, featured the vehicle in numerous paintings such as One Hundred Years Ago, 1887, Waiting for the Ferry, 1899, and Passing the Outposts, 1903.