CAROUSEL

The amusements of Atlantic City in the last post made me think of carousels. I have spent periods of my life obsessed with carousels. In my own childhood I rode the Stein & Goldstein horses at the carousel in Central Park in New York City. But more than that, we had our own carousel horse on our lawn in Redding Connecticut in the early 1950's. Nowadays, nobody in their right mind would leave a vintage wooden carousel horse outdoors, exposed to the elements and gaggles of rowdy children, but in those days the discarded horses were not particularly valuable or appreciated as works of folk art.
Liza Cowan, circa 1951, Redding, CT.

My sister just sent me this. Sorry about the quality, it's a many times scan, but here is my mother, Polly Spiegel Cowan, with my sister Holly and brother Geoff on the carousel horse.  I don't understand the seeming discrepency in the color of the mane, but I guess that between the time of the picture with my mom and sibs, and the one of me, the horse was painted. Ouch.

The horse  sat on our lawn for years. The mind boggles. I rode this horse until my early teens, when we sold the house. And by "we" I mean my parents. Years outdoors exposed to the elements runied this fine piece of sculpture, and I regret that more than I can begin to express.


These horses are in the New York State Museum in Albany.  Armitage/Hershell machine probably carved by Charles Dare in the 1890's.

Attributed to Charles Dare. Photo from James D. Julia Auction, Maine.  This is the horse we had. The breastplate and saddle on ours was simpler, but otherwise they match up. My heart is breaking.

Moving on from my heartbreak...

When my daughters were little, we were lucky to have a house in Greenport Long Island, where there is a beautifully restored Hershell Carousel right on the water's edge. I got a call one evening at dusk that the horses were about to be moved to their newly built pavillion, so I raced over and got this shot of some of them stacked up and ready to go. The light was fading too fast, so I only got a couple of good images.

Liza Cowan Photo 1999, Hershell Horses, Greenport NY Carousel



This Hershell beauty was up and rolling when I took the picture. The Greenport Carousel actually has a brass ring, which makes it even more exciting and historic.

Mixed Media by Liza Cowan.

This is a painting I did on top of a photocopy of a photo I took of a Hershell horse at the Greenport, Long Island Carousel. If you've never tried painting on top of a photocopy you should. It's really fun and easy. Best if you put down a coat of clear medium first.

Photo by Liza Cowan. WG riding a Charles Carmel jumper, Prospect Park Carousel

The carousel in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY has beautifully renovated horses carved in Coney Island sometime between 1910 and 1915 by Charles Carmel. We spent many an afternoon there. The American Folk Art Museum in New York recently had and exhibit, which I missed, called Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses, The Synagogue To The Carousel, which traced the art of Jewish immigrant carvers "inspired by their memories of the  symbols and forms they left behind. Some of the same Jewish artisans who arrived in America at the turn of the twentieth century and carved for their local synagogues also found work carving horses and other animals for the flourishing carousel industry."

"Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses" Exhibition Catalog, American Folk Museum with Brandeis University Press. 2008
Listed on my Powell's Bookshelf (under MY WEBSITES on upper right of sidebar.)

Photo by Liza Cowan

This turn of the century carousel is in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. The children can take sticks and try to spear the wooden hoops. This must hark back to when carousels were used to teach jousting to knights. It's as much fun for the children as grabbing for the brass ring. Notice how petite these horses are.

Photo by Liza Cowan.

And then, sometimes, a mechanical horsie -ride -for- a- quarter is just as much fun. Although GW is wearing the same dress as in the Paris photo, it is not the same day, or even the same country. She just adored the dress.

 
Carousel at Shelburne Museum, Shelburne VT

Now we live only a few miles from the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Vt. They also have a working Hershell Carousel. They also have an amazing collection of historical carved carousel animals. It's worth the trip.

Comments

[amy crehore]

You had a carousel horse?! How cool is that! :)

I lived in NJ growing up and I love your Atlantic City post, too, with the vintage postcards.

Just saying hello and hope you are doing well!

Amy

[liza]

Doing fine, Amy, thanks for stopping by.

[amy]

Hi Liza, I am so glad you commented on my blog - first off because i love hearing from readers, and then because it brought me to your blog. We seem to have a bit of a similar background (i work in journalism). I am enamored with your post about the carousel horses. I cannot believe you have one in your yard, what a treat!
you can be sure i will be back here soon to visit. brooklyn sends her love!

[Donna Ridgway]

I stumbled upon your blog by accident, a google search for horse art blogs. I've always loved the carousel horses, so I truly enjoyed your post about them.

I also enjoyed the nostalgia of the catalog pages and the old postcards. You have a very interesting blog!
Donna

[liza]

Donna, thank you. I'm glad you like the blog and I'm thrilled that you took the time to leave a comment. If you found any great horse art blogs, let me know.

Amy, so glad you stopped by, and thanks for leaving a message. Hope you keep coming back. I have your blog bookmarked.

[Rapid T. Rabbit]

Hello fellow carousel fan! I worked aboard the Central Park carousel in NYC all through the 1970's and rode it since I was very little right up to today.

It's too bad that with the closing of the Steel Pier that will be the end of all amusement parks in Atlantic City.

While I've been riding real horses for years now, I never outgrew carousel horses, rocking horses or even those mechanical kids horsey rides. I even own one, which I keep stabled out in Wild West City NJ.

[Liza Cowan]

Wow. You worked at the CP Carousel! I practically grew up on it, but that was in the fifties. Glad you share my passion for carousel animals. I've got some new pix on my post of June 18th.

Thanks for commenting, and bookmark this blog for more carousel images and other interesting stuff.