Design for Brougham/D'Orsay 1875 - 1885

This is a design for a Brougham, or D'Orsay carriage, made on paper by an anonymous artist. Carriages such as this one were luxury items, symbols of wealth and status in Europe and America. The design conveys meaning through its depiction of the carriage's elegant lines, fine details, and overall sense of refinement. In a society with rigid class hierarchies, the Brougham carriage was associated with the upper classes, who used it for transportation and display. The advent of mass transportation eventually displaced such private carriages. The image can be better understood through research into the history of transportation, social class, and design in nineteenth-century Europe and America. By examining the historical context in which this design was created, we can gain a deeper understanding of its meaning and significance.