Gig (wagon)

Drawing a gig

A gig is a one-horse , two-wheeled open carriage with a forked drawbar for a horse to drive itself, therefore usually with a small operator's seat behind the headquarters.

It first appeared in Paris in the 17th century and is a forerunner of the convertible , with both forms lasting until the end of the 19th century ; especially in France , the United Kingdom and the USA .

At early gigs , when a harnessed horse kneeled , the leaf springs scraped the ground, which could throw the driver off.

Variants of the gig are the Stanhope Gig and the Tilbury Gig , both developed by Fitzroy Stanhope .

source

• Meyers Konversations-Lexikon 1895

Web links

• Encyclopedia Britannica Online for the gig as a carriage design (English, accessed on February 10, 2012)
• Encyclopedia Britannica Online on the Cabriolet as a carriage design (English, accessed on February 10, 2012)