The carriages at Shelburne Museum

A museum pamphlet presents an overview of a curated assemblage of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century horse-drawn vehicles, tracing the decline of the carriage trade and arguing for preservation of both vehicles and related documents. It describes how the collection was formed through donations and purchases and is displayed in a reconstructed barn, offers illustrated examples and a catalog of carriage types ranging from phaetons and surreys to coaches and wagons, and discusses American design traits, social uses such as city promenades, and practical considerations of carriage ownership.