Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward Webb
On the festive occasion in October of 1905 for Miss Frederica V. Webb’s wedding to Mr. Ralph Pulitzer, the berlin was harnessed à la grande daumont, with Mr. J. Watson Webb on the leader and Mr. W. Seward Webb, Jr. on the wheeler. This equipage, with the two brothers riding postillion for their sister, brought the bride and groom home to Shelburne Farms from Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne after the ceremony.
CARROLL COACH
Black with white striping; gear is black with yellow striping. Trimming: gold-on-gold damask.
An unusually fine example of a private coach of the mid-19th century, made to carry six persons in addition to the coachman and footman.
The woodcarving trim on this coach, which originally was owned by George W. Carroll of Carrollton, Isle of Wight County, Virginia, is of especial note. The carved double leaf motif is in keeping with the size of the coach. The Coach Makers’ Illustrated Hand-Book in its chapter on woodcarving warned that “The coach and carriage of smaller dimensions will not admit of great boldness in design, but every portion requiring decoration will admit of a well-conceived design and delicacy of workmanship.”