The Garbage Cart
For the first two centuries of New York’s history, anyone who wanted to transport anything—goods, building materials, even garbage—had to rely on one of the city’s licensed cartmen. New York could not function without the ubiquitous white-smocked cartmen who were awarded freeman status and a monopoly on intra-city transportation. The numerous regulations placed on the carting business included rates, cart size, and speed limits. According to its inscription, this scene, at the intersection of Pump (now Canal) and Elizabeth Streets, likely features the carter Thomas Palmer around 1807, bell in hand, executing his mandatory biweekly garbage collection.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Garbage Cart
- Artist: William P. Chappel (American, 1801–1878)
- Date: 1870s
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on slate paper
- Dimensions: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 in. (15.6 x 23.5 cm)
- Credit Line: The Edward W. C. Arnold Collection of New York Prints, Maps, and Pictures, Bequest of Edward W. C. Arnold, 1954
- Object Number: 54.90.507
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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William P. Chappel
1870s
William P. Chappel
1870s
William P. Chappel
1870s
William P. Chappel
1870s
William P. Chappel
1870s
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