A Pictorial History of the Carousel
by
Frederick Fried
£40.00  

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ISBN Number: 0911572295 
Format:
Hardback
Number of Pages:
231
Publication Date:
1964 (1997 reprint)
Publisher:
Vestal Press Ltd

The history of the carousel and intriguing descriptions of the diverse machines, such as the 'Two-story' carousel, 'Rolling Ship', 'Scenic Railway', 'Airplane' and 'Oscillating' carousels, into which the basic idea, once mechanised, proliferated, are only a part of A Pictorial History of the Carousel. The author also devotes chapters to the carvers and manufacturers whose inventive genius made the carousel one of the most colourful and popular of social entertainments. There is a chapter, too, which describes the history and development of the band organ, whose brassy melodies are inseparable from the carousel.

The art of carousel carving embraced not only the horses, whales, dogs, dragons, and more extravagant hybrids of the platform menagerie, but also the elaborate trimmings and facades of the carousel. Some of the carved horses and other animals, ranging from placid and bovine, to frenzied, contorted, and even malevolent creations, are not only authentic Americana, but genuine folk-art, worthy of respect and preservation.

Over 350 illustrations accompany the text, among them reproductions of watercolours, pen drawings, coloured lithographs, daguerreotypes, and catalogues of German, English and American carousel manufacturers. Many of the photographs of fin de siecle carousels are themselves decades old. A Pictorial History of the Carousel is a book for those interested in art, antiques, and a rich but often overlooked vein of history.

Condition: Fine in Fine dust jacket.
 

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