Photos: Michael Furman (via Mullin Automotive Museum gallery)
The Mullin Automotive Museum will continue showcasing its Cars and Carriages exhibit, which celebrates French vehicle design during the Belle Époque period, until Dec. 16 of this year. The exhibit features seventeen vehicles, both cars and horse-drawn carriages, and an assortment of related period objects.
The selection of vehicles illustrates the transitional period between carriages and cars as a primary means of conveyance. This period, known as the Belle Époque, or Beautiful Era, covers the years between the 1870s and the beginning of the First World War, and includes within its span the Brass Car Era.
Since many of the same designers worked throughout the Belle Époque and so crafted both cars and carriages, there is a clearly observable connection between the stylistic sensibilities of both types of vehicle. Some of the designers and companies whose work is featured in the exhibit are Labourdette, Ettore Bugatti, and Panhard et Levassor.
The sinuous shaping and elegant craftsmanship of the vehicles is appealing in its own right, so even those without an interest in automotive history may enjoy visiting the Cars and Carriages exhibit.
The video below includes a number of the cars featured in the exhibit.