“All About Carousels”
by: Melvin A. Schwartz

Famous Carousel Carvers
The Golden Age of carousels began in the late 1800s and ended in the early 1930s with the Great Depression. During that period, three different carousel “styles” emerged. To the trained eye, these styles are distinct as a fingerprint.

Coney Island Style:
The horses that Charles I.D. Looff carved tended to be very fanciful, with flashy, often jewel-encrusted saddles and bridles. M.C. Illions and Charles Caramel also carved horses that were less than realistic, frozen in highly animated poses. Stein and Goldstein carousel horses were known for their big buckles and lack of forelocks.

Philadelphia Style:
These carousel horses were very realistic, with many sporting armor and other militaristic gear. The carousels that the Dentzel Company built often included horses with human faces carved somewhere on their sides. The Philadelphia Toboggan Company was not founded by carvers. As a result, its carousels displayed many variations of the Philadelphia style.

Daniel and Alfred Müller of D.C. Müller & Bro. Company were famous for their exceptionally intricate and realistic carousel figures. One of the company’s founders, Daniel Müller, is often said to be the best carver of carousel horses ever. 

Those familiar with Rolfe Kessler’s work might disagree. Driven by dark moods and odd convictions, Kessler worked by himself, creating carousels on a freelance basis. Some people found the intense expressions of Kessler’s creations to be a little too realistic.

County Fair Style: 
A number of companies specialized in carousels that could be effortlessly moved from one place to another. The carousel horses they created were relatively simple in appearance so that they could be produced quickly and moved with minimal breakage. Armitage Herschell and Spillman were known for this style, and the carousels of the C. W. Parker Amusement Company were seen throughout the American heartland in the early 1900s.

The History of the Carousel:
Carousels, or merry-go-rounds, evolved from games people in the Middle Ages used to play on horseback. In the 12th century, the Spanish named one of these games “carousella,” which meant “little war.”

By the 17th century, “carrousel” among French royalty meant a festive day of contests on horseback. In one of these contests riders would try to spear a small ring with their lance while galloping past it at full speed. To practice for this event noblemen would straddle a wooden horse that hung from an arm that was attached to a center pole. As this center pole and arm turned, powered by horse, mule, or servant, the rider would try to spear a small stationary ring mounted on the outside of the machine. 

Eventually the word “carousel” referred to this machine rather than the pageant on horseback that inspired it. By the mid-1800s, men, women, and children of all social classes were clamoring to rider the contraption, which by this time included several rows of wooden horses. Innovation occurred rapidly after the carousel become steam driven in 1870, and by the early 1900s, the carousel looked pretty much the way it does today.

It is interesting to note that English carousels rotated clockwise while carousels in America and the rest of Europe rotated in a counter-clockwise direction. This is because the English thought it was important that riders be encouraged to mount from the proper side (the horse’s left side). Also, the game of trying to “grab the brass ring” was never popular in England. In the United States, moving counter-clockwise allowed the carousel riders to use their right hands to reach for the ring as they went by. 

What is a Band Organ? 
By 1920, most carousels in the United States were treating their customers not just to a cool, refreshing breeze as they rode, but to the bright, lively sounds of that distinctly American invention known as the band organ.

A band organ is a mechanical device, meaning that someone doesn’t have to play it, rather, it produces music by mechanical means. In very simple terms, air supplied by a bellows at the bottom of a organ is forced through pipes which produce musical notes in relation to holes punched in a roll of paper. A variety of pipes can be activated at one time along with drums and cymbals, so that the music sounds much like that of a small military band, hence the name band organ. 

Many people think the music they hear when they ride a carousel is calliope music. A calliope, however, is a totally different machine. Designed to attract attention, the high-pitched, flute-like calliope tones are usually heard at the circus.

Some antique band organs house speakers that simply broadcast prerecorded music. But some still use the tradition but fragile paper rolls, while in others, the pipes are activated according to digitally recorded patterns. Some band organs can go back and forth between the old way of playing tunes and the new, improving the likelihood that as long as there are carousels, there will be band organ music. 


Funtastic Factoid(s): 

• The horse on the outside just in front of the “chariot” on a carousel is called the lead horse. This horse is usually the biggest and most exquisitely carved horse on the carousel. 

• Some carvers carved only the heads, and let other craftsmen carve the rest of the horse. 

• Most horses that are mounted on permanent carousels have tails made of real horse hair. 

• A carousel horse was carved out of many pieces of wood then were held together with glue and small dowels (never nails because they would rust). A horse’s leg could be made out of as many as six pieces of wood. 

• Horses were carved out of soft hardwood like bass wood. This wood is soft enough to carve easily but hard enough to stand up to a lot of wear. 

• The side of the horse that faced out and was most seen by the public was called its “romance” side. Since it was the most visible side, it usually included much more detail than the inner side.

• Early 20th century riders rode the carousel for the cool breeze it generated and for the thrill of riding something going fast (7 mph!)

• Carousel horses were often named. Their names would appear on the inside of their bridles. 

• Menagerie figures such as tigers, dogs, giraffes, and even frogs were found alongside horses on carousels in the late 19th century. But by 1920 these figures were on their way out because the carousel-makers realized that many children were frightened of them and preferred to ride horses. 

• The horses on the outside are bigger and more ornate than the horses on the inside so they can be seen from a distance and will attract potential customers.