Pullman (Atrophy)

A Pullman is a luxury railroad car that was popular from the second half of the 19^th century to the first half of the 20th century. The Pullman luxury railroad cars were invented by George Mortimer Pullman, an American industrialist born in 1831. As a young man he took over the business of his father who had been specialized on moving buildings. When the demand for such services was decreasing, George Pullman started engaging in the railroad business. Due to his own travel experiences, Mr. Pullman saw the necessity to offer comfortable and clean railroad cars for passengers. He found a business partner in the former New York state senator Benjamin Field and successfully converted normal railroad cars into luxury sleeping cars. In 1865, he introduced the “Pioneer”, his first luxurious sleeping car that was not just converted. “Pioneer” cars got national attention when they became part of the train that carried home Abraham Lincoln’s body after his assassination. When Benjamin Field dissolved the partnership in 1867, George Pullman founded the Pullman Palace Car Company. After Pullman’s death in 1897, Abraham Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln became the president of the company.[1]

Pullman cars were luxury hotels on wheels as they were offering much comfort to their passengers.[2] Their interior was decorated with marquetry works and exquisite materials like mother-of-pearl, marble, and gold. Upholstered ceilings and floors, damask-covered walls, comfortable sofas and chairs, air-conditioning, and electric lights guaranteed an enjoyable stay to the elite of the Gilded Age. Oftentimes, several private railway carriages were arranged in a string of three or four cars.[3] There were comfortable sleeping cars, hotel cars, parlor cars, reclining room cars, and dining cars in which travelers could enjoy fine cuisine. On top of that, the crew offered an excellent service. What was also special about it was that the employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company were freed former slaves.[4] A big competitor of George M. Pullman’s company was the Webster Palace Car Company which was preferred by members of the Vanderbilt family. [5]

Sources:

[1] Urofsky, Melvin I. “George M. Pullman. American Industrialist and Inventor.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15 Oct. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/George-M-Pullman#ref1225553. Accessed 17 Oct. 2019.

[2] “The Pullman Company.” The Pullman State Historic Site, 2017, www.pullman-museum.org/theCompany/. Accessed 10 Sept. 2019.

[3] King, Greg. A Season of Splendor. The Court of Mrs. Astor in Gilded Age New York. (Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009. Print), 237.

[4] “The Pullman Company.” The Pullman State Historic Site, 2017, www.pullman-museum.org/theCompany/. Accessed 10 Sept. 2019.

[5] King, Greg. A Season of Splendor. The Court of Mrs. Astor in Gilded Age New York. (Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009. Print), 237.

Image:

Pierre-Auguste Renoir: La Loge. 1874. https://1tq45j21k9qr27g1703pgsja-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/renoir-1280x640.jpg