Runabout, 1876
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Inspired by the lightweight horse-drawn vehicles he saw at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Samuel Tooney, a manufacturer of horse-drawn racing vehicles, set to making the lightest carriage possible. The result, weighing in at just 96 pounds, is a design masterpiece: practical minimalism derived from refined engineering and fluency with natural materials.
Inspired by the lightweight horse-drawn vehicles he saw at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Samuel Tooney, a manufacturer of horse-drawn racing vehicles, set to making the lightest carriage possible. The result, weighing in at just 96 pounds, is a design masterpiece: practical minimalism derived from refined engineering and fluency with natural materials.
Artifact
Runabout (Buggy)
Date Made
1876
Creators
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
Made by Samuel Toomey at S. Toomey & Sons Carriage Manufactory in Dover, Ohio
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
40.216.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ralph Toomey.
Material
Hickory (Wood)
Leather
Metal
Paint (Coating)
Wood (Plant material)
Color
Black (Color)
Brown
Dimensions
Height: 106.375 in
Width: 51 in
Length: 99 in
Wheelbase: 52.5 in
Diameter: 47.5 in (Wheel Diameter)
Diameter: 45.25 in (Wheel Diameter)
Inscriptions
Plate on rear axle: S. TOOMEY & SON / CANAL.DOVER. O.
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