Carriage Tour

Look at this graceful Portland Cutter. This fine example of the species was built around the turn of the century by the Cortland Carriage Company. Such a cutter could have been purchased for under $20 at the time of its construction. They were extremely popular in America and many companies were manufacturing them. In 1908, Sears and Roebuck advertised models similar to this one for $16.75. How much of that must the builder have gotten? Not much is known about the Cortland Carriage Company. It's possible that it is the successor to the Cortland Wagon Company which had financial troubles and went out of business early in the 1900s (though in 1904 they turned out over 16,000 carriages).