POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Model horse drawn gig

Model horse drawn gig

Object No. B2254-6

This gig is part of a collection of seven, horsedrawn vehicle models made between 1970 and 1976 by Edward Manners, a Sydney sign writer and artist. The vehicles are interesting because they illustrate the types of horsedrawn vehicles used in Sydney up to about the Second World War. Rather than being scale models, the vehicles exhibit a naive yet charming quality. The full-size gig was a domestic light passenger vehicle for one or two people and used for personal travel in towns and the countryside. The model is particularly valuable as it illustrates the brightly-coloured finish, lining and decoration common to horsedrawn vehicle construction at the time. When only black and white photographs of horsedrawn vehicles and weather-worn original examples in museums and private collections survive, the models remind us how colourful horsedrawn vehicles were at the time. Margaret Simpson Curator, Science & Industry February 2008

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Summary

Object Statement

Horsedrawn vehicle model, gig, made by Edward Manners, North Ryde, New South Wales, 1970-1976

Physical Description

Horse-drawn vehicle model, gig, made by Edward Manners, North Ryde, NSW, 1970-1976 This two-wheeled vehicle is called a gig. It has a seat accessible by a step and mudguards over the wheels to protect the driver and passenger from mud. The gig is decorated and is pulled by a carved timber horse which is fitted with a light buggy-style leather harness. The harness is fairly well detailed and includes a loin straps, crupper, and back band. The gig is part of a collection of horsedrawn vehicles which also comprises, a two-wheel tip dray drawn by one horse, a two-wheel spring cart drawn by one horse, a four-wheel wagon pulled by one horse, a four-wheel wheat and wool wagon drawn by two horses, a two-wheel pony barrow drawn by one horse and a two-wheel covered cart drawn by one horse. The vehicles and horses are made of wood and painted in bright colours.

DIMENSIONS

Height

110 mm

Width

210 mm

PRODUCTION

Notes

The gig model was made by Edward Manners, a sign writer, coach painter and artist by profession, of the Sydney suburb of North Ryde, NSW. Edward was born in 1911, probably in Sydney, the son of William Edward Manners, a coach painter, and Grace Amelia nee Walker. His mother died in childbirth in 1917 and his father remarried in 1920 to Helen Jessie Perch. Edward married Elsie E Miller in 1934 at Newtown and then Joy Mary Hill in 1948. It is said that Edward developed his talent for coach painting from his grandfather, an agricultural implement and coach manufacturer. Edward died in 1976. Information supplied by Shirley Xanthos, 2009.

HISTORY

Notes

The model was purchased in 1977.

SOURCE

Acquisition Date

4 August 1977

Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.

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