Tonneau

Tonneaeu is a one-horse carriage from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries; it was designed to be driven by ladies. The tonneau now belonging to the collection of the Castle Museum in Łańcut comes from the Wielkopolska region and was donated to the museum’s Vehicle Collection. It underwent a thorough renovation by the renowned company of the Bogajewicz family located in Pniewy Szamotulskie, which existed between 1890 and 2015 Tonneau (French: barrel) is the proper name for a two-wheeled, one-horse vehicle having a tall solid barrel-like body, which inspired its French name. The entrance is located at the rear, it consists of a full, slightly lower door, secured from the top by a transverse long nickel-plated hook. A small step is hanging by the footrest on an extension. Inside, all the walls and the doors are uniformly upholstered and have two longitudinal upholstered benches, of which the one on the right, occupied by the driving lady, has a semi-circular recess so that the driver can sit facing forward. The other bench was designed for the servant, accompanying the lady, or groom, seating sideways. During the ride, he was the attendant, he also used to bring the harness from the stable and take it back there after the ride was over, besides taking care of it when the lady finished the ride. At the front, near the edge of the body, there is a nickel-plated fork on which the reins rested. Also, at the front of the body, on either side of the fork are lantern holders and along the sides are flat, wooden mudguards curved at the ends. At the front, in the lower part of the box, there are two permanently mounted drawbars, in which the horse walked in a harness set – special leather loops are fastened to the curved, forged ends of the drawbars. Tonneau, also called a gouverness car was intended as well for the walks of several-year-old children with nursemaid, driven by the nursemaid herself. Apart from the nursemaid, only the children used to be transported in the vehicle, without the assistance of a groom. Aldona Cholewianka-Kruszyńska