What it is
A carousel horse is a seat shaped like an animal. It carries one rider. It is fixed to a pole or a platform and moves with the machine. Most classic carousels used horses. Some added lions, tigers, giraffes, deer, goats, pigs and sea monsters. Collectors call these "menagerie" figures.
The horse does three jobs. It holds a rider safely. It catches the eye of people who have not yet paid. And it tells the owner's story: how rich, how modern, how grand the ride is.
What it is made of
American carvers preferred basswood. It is pale, soft and even in grain. It cuts cleanly across the grain, which matters for manes and eyes. Poplar was used too. European makers often used lime, which is the same family as basswood.
The body is not one log. It is a hollow box. The carver glued planks into a rough rectangular shell, then shaped the outside. A hollow body is lighter. It also moves less with changes in moisture, so it cracks less.
The head, legs and tail were made as separate blocks. They were glued and pegged to the body. On a stripped horse you can still see the seams. Tails were sometimes real horsehair set into a socket.
- Stander
- A figure with at least three hooves fixed to the platform. Usually the largest, on the outer row.
- Prancer
- A figure rearing back, front legs raised, back legs planted.
- Jumper
- A figure with all four legs off the ground. It rises and falls on a crank-driven pole.
- Romance side
- The side facing the audience. It has the deepest carving and the most decoration.
- Lead horse
- The most elaborate figure on the machine, often on the outer row.
How to read the rows
A classic machine has two to four rows of figures. The outer row is seen from the ground. Those figures are the largest and most carved. The inner rows are smaller and simpler, because few people see them up close.
Now look at one figure. American machines turn counterclockwise. Riders face forward, so the horse's right side faces out to the crowd. That right side is the romance side. The left side, the one facing the center pole, is often flatter and plainer. British gallopers turn clockwise, so there the left side faces out.
Three American styles
Historians group American carving into three styles. They overlap, and carvers moved between shops. Still, the styles help you place a figure.
| Style | Look | Names |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | Realistic, calm, graceful bodies. Military trappings, flowers, natural manes. | Gustav Dentzel, Daniel Muller, Philadelphia Toboggan Co., John Zalar |
| Coney Island | Flamboyant. Flying manes, glass jewels, gold and silver leaf, wild eyes. | Charles Looff, Charles Carmel, M. C. Illions, Stein & Goldstein |
| Country Fair | Simpler, smaller, made to be packed up and moved between towns. | Herschell-Spillman, Allan Herschell Co., C. W. Parker |
Paint, leaf and glass
The carved wood was sealed and painted, usually in oil-based paint. Gold leaf or silver leaf went on bridles and trappings. Coney Island carvers set glass jewels into the harness. Eyes were often glass.
Many horses carry many coats of later paint. Park crews repainted them each season. Restorers call this "park paint". Under it may be the original factory paint. Conservators sometimes remove later layers. Sometimes they leave them, because the layers are part of the figure's history.
Handling notes
Do not lift a figure by its legs or ears. Those are the glued joints. Support the body underneath. Keep figures away from fast swings in humidity. Wood moves, joints open, and paint lifts at the seams first.