Sellier-Carossier, chaise ou cabriolet. Pl. XV.

Title

Sellier-Carossier, chaise ou cabriolet. Pl. XV.

Description

Illustrations of a cabriolet carriage with 9 different pictures and technical details. Drawing by Jacques-Raymond Lucotte, the collaboration of the Encyclopédie comes from the artist, who is also the author of the text. From the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers by Denis Diderot and Jean-Baptiste Le Rond d'Alembert.

ca. 1776

Artist

Diderot (1713-1784)

Historical Description

The Romans already used sprung carriages, at least from the 2nd century AD. In the 15th century, suspension was invented again in Kocs, Hungary. From then on, the carriages were constantly being improved as technology developed. The great success of this comfortable carriage quickly spread across the entire continent. A whole range of professions were involved in carriage building: e.g. wheelwrights, carpenters and painters. As a private vehicle, carriages were also always a status symbol, which was expressed not only by the carriage itself, but by the entire equipage. With the advent of the postal system at about the same time as the modern coach, the stagecoach became the most important means of public transportation in Europe and the New World for over two centuries. Towards the end of the 19th century, the city of Columbus in the US state of Ohio had more than 20 companies producing carriages, so that one sixth of all carriages produced worldwide came from Columbus. The Lindner Waggonfabrik in Halle also made a significant contribution to global production: "By the end of carriage production in 1912, a total of almost 6000 vehicles had been delivered. It was not until the development of the automobile that the carriage slowly disappeared from the streetscape.