The one in the foreground is a modern reproduction, but the one behind it is actually from the 1700's. See how enormous the wheels are? All the better to roll across rutted dirt roads and maybe places that don't even resemble roads. I suppose the other advantages would be having a back on the chair to relax against, and it was only two-wheeled and would be much easier to navigate down twisty-turning paths. I wonder how long it would take me to train our horses to pull one of these? Riding chairs were also popular back then because they were certainly cheaper than 4-wheeled chariots or coaches - like the one we might all associate with George Washington.
The replica riding chair is a result of the skill of colonial vehicle body specialist Chris Wright who could be
found in a shop at the Governor's Palace coach house in the Historic Area of Williamsburg, Virginia.
In the first photo, notice the sleigh in the very back. That would be fun, too.
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