General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

6

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

wood body, wheels, seat framework, parts/ metal undercarriage, springs, parts/ leather top, seat coverings/ leather? covered dash/ glass & metal lamps/ fabric covered seats/ rubber tires

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

240.0 cm

Width

156.0 cm

Height

236.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Non-motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Animal powered

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Hooker

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Connecticut

City

New Haven

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Quebec

Period

circa 1905-1928

Canada

An American made vehicle owned throughout its history by a prosperous Montreal family. This vehicle belonged to engineer & businessman James Thomas Davis, originally of Ottawa and the family contracting business W.T Davis and Sons. In 1898 he moved with his wife Gertrude and family to Montreal, and in 1909 moved into a home on prestigious Drummond St. It included a stable, coach house and residence for the coachman. Among the vehicles in the coach house were a Victoria, sleighs, a brougham (2005.0010) and this spider phaeton. Mr. Davis died in 1928 and the carriages were retained by his widow. Upon her death in 1955, Miss Diana Davis, granddaughter of James Francis Davis, received the spider phaeton and the brougham. They were stored in a barn on her property in Hudson, Quebec.

Function

A gentleman's pleasure vehicle, with a seat for two and a seat behind for a groom.

Technical

An example of a spider type phaeton. The term phaeton comes from Phaeton, son of the sun-god Helios, who drove the chariot of the sun across the sky and was killed by Zeus. The phaeton, which originated in England, came in different types & sizes. The spider phaeton was so called because of its delicate lines. It had a light body & a seat at the back for a groom but was usually driven for pleasure by the owner. The spider phaeton appeared in the U.S. around 1861 & reached its greatest popularity during the last decade of the 19th century & was as popular in Europe as in the U.S. This type of vehicle was also constructed in Canada by a number of prestigious manufacturers such as Ledoux & Taillefeur. The French Carriage Co. of Boston, MA, was founded in 1894 & was a sales agent for the prestigious products of carriage maker Henry Hooker & Co. of New Haven, CT. Henry Hooker & Co. was one of the largest & most reputable manufacturers of horse-drawn vehicles in the U.S.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

lettering on hub caps reads "THE FRENCH CARRIAGE CO. BOSTON"/ lettering on tires reads "THE KELLY SPRINGFIELD TIRE PAT. FEB. 18,1896/ MADE IN AMERICA 1 1/8 BUCKEYE"

Missing

one seat cushion missing. Assorted small hardware lost.

Finish

black painted body & wheels/ undercarriage finish obscured by corrosion/ black dash, top, groom's seat & flooring/ metallic grey lanterns, possibly originally painted black/ grey tires/ dark blue seat coverings

Decoration

remnants of blue striping on body