3-085-834 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

A Sledge-Coach in Old-World Amsterdam, 1898. 'In the history of the modes of conveyance the Amsterdam sledge-coach of the eighteenth century can claim a distinct place. At first sight it seems incredible that the body of a coach placed on a sledge to be dragged over the rough pavement of the period was considered an improvement on the existing carriages. Certainly, the fact does not impress one with a very high idea of the perfection of carriage-building in the beginning of the eighteenth century. To promote a smooth movement a man with a cloth drenched in fat or grease ran in front of the vehicle; every now and then he spread his cloth on the road and let the sledge pass over it. Evidently this "greaser" was not held in very high esteem by his fellow-citizens, and it seems that in course of time the man became identified with his clout or "smeerlap." This substantive nowadays denotes a nice blend of the blackguard and the ragamuffin. In the Amsterdam State Museum a most elegant and elaborately painted "sleepkoets" may still be seen'. From "Illustrated London News", 1898.