Are there any carousels left in the world?
A handful of companies, such as The Carousel Works, are bringing the art of the hand-carved wooden merry-go-round back, but their unique artworks are outnumbered by the mold-made fiberglass carousels, which are cheaper and quicker to produce. Today, the original antique carousels are endangered beasts.
How many carousels were there in the Golden Age?
At the height of the Golden Age of Carousels (1890s-1920s), somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 hand-carved, hand-painted merry-go-rounds were spinning around the United States. Now, there are only 150 of these antique carousels in operation.
What was the purpose of the old carousel?
In a certain window of time, carousels were intricate, breathtaking works of kinetic art. And, like most things, over time new merry-go-rounds became standardized factory products.
How are the animals on a carousel made?
The French animals stayed static on a flat platform that spun around.” The carvers that immigrated to America took special care to make their horses believable, with the muscles, movement, and facial expressions of the horses they knew. Menagerie carousels feature other animals in addition to the horses.
A handful of companies, such as The Carousel Works, are bringing the art of the hand-carved wooden merry-go-round back, but their unique artworks are outnumbered by the mold-made fiberglass carousels, which are cheaper and quicker to produce. Today, the original antique carousels are endangered beasts.
At the height of the Golden Age of Carousels (1890s-1920s), somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 hand-carved, hand-painted merry-go-rounds were spinning around the United States. Now, there are only 150 of these antique carousels in operation.
The French animals stayed static on a flat platform that spun around.” The carvers that immigrated to America took special care to make their horses believable, with the muscles, movement, and facial expressions of the horses they knew. Menagerie carousels feature other animals in addition to the horses.
Where does the name of the Carousel come from?
FYI – Carousels in Europe go clockwise. Carousels in the US go counter clockwise. The word origin for carousel is interesting. It comes from the Spanish word carosella (meaning little battle) that was used to describe the battle practice or training games used by cavalry during the Crusades.
