Hotel Del Monte Omnibus, 1880-1885
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Artifact Overview
American cities used horse-drawn omnibuses for public transportation from the 1830s into the 1910s. Passengers entered through a rear door and sat on seats that ran lengthwise along each side. Larger hotels, like the fashionable Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, California, used omnibuses to transport guests between railroad station and hotel, or on special excursions during their stay.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Omnibus
Date Made
1880-1885
Creators
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
Made by Andrew Wight Company of Saint Louis, Missouri; painted by W. B. Cook
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
36.520.116
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Leather
Metal
Paint (Coating)
Upholstery
Wood (Plant material)
Technique
Painting (Image-making)
Gilding (Technique)
Color
Black (Color)
Blue
Brown
Cream (Color)
Dark blue
Gold (Color)
Gray (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 122.5 in
Width: 96 in
Length: 234 in
Wheelbase: 157.5 in
Diameter: 48.75 in (Wheel Diameter)
Diameter: 60.5 in (Wheel Diameter)
Inscriptions
Painted on each side: HOTEL DEL MONTE
Inscribed on latch on window, center front: A. WIGHT / ST. LOUIS
Painted on scroll on the front side: W.B. COOK PAINTER
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Related Content
Set
Online Horse-Drawn Vehicles Collection
- 29 Artifacts
The horse-drawn streetcar was an important means of public transportation in 19th-century American cities. New York's Brooklyn City Railroad ran this car on its line between Hunters Point in Long Island City, and Erie Basin in South Brooklyn. But horses were expensive to stable and feed -- and messy too. Operators embraced electric streetcars starting in the late 1880s.