Past Times Newsletter - September 2001

__________________________________________________________________
THE AMERICAN CAROUSEL BY MARIANNE STEVENS OF THE
JOURNAL OF ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES

Carousels have been around for several centuries, but not in the
form that we now know them. They evolved from an ancient Arabian
game, where mounted riders would try to catch balls filled with
scented oil. Later, in 17th century Europe, horsemen riding at
full speed tried to spear golden rings with their lances. To
practice for this event, riders would mount crude wooden horses
that were attached by beams to a central pole which was rotated
by servants. Over time they have turned into a joyful ride to
any place that one can imagine. Around the turn of the last
century, immigrants from Europe flooded our shores, looking for
a better life, and they brought their skills with them.

Gustav Dentzel, whose family had been involved with carousels in
Germany, is considered the pioneer carousel builder in America.
He started as a cabinetmaker, but soon opened a shop in
Philadelphia, specializing in the manufacture of carousels. Most
of the immigrants had learned their skills making furniture or
doing church sculptures.

The "golden age" of carousels was from 1875 to 1925, when there
were ten firms, mainly based in Brooklyn and Philadelphia,
trying to outdo each other by making their carousels bigger and
better than the competition.

By the time World War I appeared on the scene, the market for
carousels had almost reached capacity. The death knell for the
industry was the depression of the 1920s. By 1925, most of the
carvers had to seek other employment, and the carousel industry
was almost gone. The last major carousel was put into operation
in 1932, but this was composed of "stock on hand" the carvers
had left years earlier. The men that remained got work mainly on
repairing or redoing old machines, and hoping for better days.

In the 1970s, perhaps prompted by America's Bicentennial, a
wonderful thing began to happen. Items hand made in America
began to gain a new appreciation. Hand carved carousels, cigar
store Indians, quilts and the like got new respect.
Unfortunately, by that time many carousels were gone, the
victims of neglect, abuse, and nature's wrath. Of the five or
six thousand made, there were very few left.

Antique carousels fall into three distinct categories. The
"Philadelphia style," which produced very beautiful, lifelike
figures painted in earth tones. The factories that produced them
were Dentzel, Daniel, Muller and Philadelphia Toboggan Company.
"The Coney Island style" was made in Brooklyn and was gaudy,
detailed, dramatic; straining at the bit to be free. The
"Country Fair" style, carved mainly in upstate New York were
simple, unadorned, portable figures, easy to transport, and move
on to the next town.

So we are fortunate that these immigrant carvers were so proud
of their new country that they wanted to do their best. New
England is fortunate to have so many beautiful antique machines.
The citizens of Hull and Fall River were faced with losing their
carousels, and formed organizations which raised the money to
prevent losing them. So, enjoy all the wonderful old carousels
that you can while they are still around. Two national
organizations have been formed to prevent the loss of any more
carousels. These are the American Carousel Society (401)
392-4289 and the National Carousel Association (812) 428-3675.

Visit The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles.

__________________________________________________________________
ABOUT RUBY LANE

We are one of the largest Internet sites for collectors, with an
active community of hundreds of shops from all over the world
offering antiques, fine art, arts & crafts, and collectibles.
Our site displays quality inventory in over 2,000 categories.
We feature a Global Search Engine, which searches all
inventories in a particular category from Ruby Lane shops and
online auctions. Visit us at www.rubylane.com

__________________________________________________________________
CONTACT US:

If you have a suggestion on how Ruby Lane can better serve you,
or if you have an article you would like to submit or a subject
you would like us to cover in an upcoming issue, contact us at
pasttimes@rubylane.com

Past Times is an opt-in email newsletter with over 57,000
subscribers and growing. Advertising inquiries are welcome!

For previous newsletters, view the Past Times Archives.