Carousel Enchantment
A place for artists to share memories of childhood carousel rides and images/artwork of these wonderful amusement rides.
Recent Work
About This Group
The artists belonging to this group wish to share their images of carousels and the menagerie of animals made for these moving amusement rides.
Brief History of Carousels
An early Byzantine etching from 500 AD portrayed riders swinging in baskets tied to a center pole and is the earliest known record of a carousel device. Skip forward to 1870 when an Englishman, Frederick Savage, applied steam power to carousels with sturdy platforms. The first up-and-down carousel that gave the animals their family galloping motion was a later improvement by Robert Tidman.
Most carousels eventually began to showcase between two and five rows of elaborately carved wooden horses and various other menagerie animals. Highly decorative panels and trims were added to hide the carousel’s mechanics and provide a grander appearance. Eventually music such as a drum, organ, or bells was added.
The public’s romance with carousels reached its height popularity from the late 1800’s to the mid-1920s.
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