Preserving America's and Colorado's Carousels Legacy
"Chief's Pride"
Lake Minnequa Amusement Park Carousel, Pueblo Colorado Circa
1920,
now at Pueblo City Park, Photo Courtesy of George Williams.
For every child and the children
of all ages who have ridden carousels it is difficult to forget
the exhilarating experience of having taken a whirling ride
within a menagerie of animals moving in unison to music generated
by brass instruments and pipe organs.
Life before the Carousel ride was
pure sense deprivation by comparison to the experience a well oiled
carousel gave us.
The carousel experience may have engendered the
fantasy of being Saint George ready to slay a dragon or of being
a cowboy in the countryside riding hard and burning leather, however
those of us who have ridden a carousel have been fortunate enough
to have had our senses stimulated and our minds set free in
the realm of the imaginary only to experience flights of fantasy
through the worlds of history and mythology.
The artistry imbued in the carousel has been the
catalyst and stimulus for innumerable flights of fancy never to
be completely forgotten.
Carousels are more than spinning
platforms moving to melodic brass and organ music, to ride
a carousel literally becomes an intoxicating magic carpet
ride into the world of fantasy where a person's heart and mind can
truly meet spirit.
The Magic Carpet Ride
Denztel Carousel at Venice Beach California,
a carousel treasure lost in the 1924 Pier Fire
The Industrial revolution of the
late 19th and early 20th centuries and the artistic heritage
brought to Rural America from Europe spawned an era in which
Carousels became an enriched artistic expression and the creative
synthesis of the mechanical, musical and artistic influences a truly
new era of art history.
The accelerated development of everything
mechanical in the early 20th Century combined with art and music
created the golden era of Carousels never
to be forgotten by those who have experienced the thrill
of a Magic Carpet Ride.
Bronze Replica of Pueblo's City Park Carousel Third Row Jumper,
by C.W. Parker Carousels Leavenworth Kansas.
Located at Children's Museum Pueblo
Colorado, Donated in Memory of Evelyn Lucille "Seal"
Williams, art work by Will Morton and Boyce Bronze Casting
year 2000. Photograph by Ione Miller from "Pueblo an
Illustrated History" By Eleanor Fry and Ione Miller
The Bronze Sculpture was modeled after a third Row Jumper
on the
Pueblo Carousel similar to this C. W. Parker Jumper in the
process of
Restoration at the C.W. Parker Carousel museum in Leavenworth
Kansas
This carousel horse is of the Jumper
Theme which traces its artistic origins to a style of English
Painting from the Early 19th century. The pose and attitude of the
horse was copied from these paintings depicting English Jumpers.
The Classical origins of this style can be meaningfully linked in
art history to the English artist George Stubbs.
For costs and details of how to purchase
a similar sculpture click on the links provided in the color photographs.
The story of the Pueblo Colorado
community efforts to conserve the heritage represented by the Lake
Minnequa Amusement Park Carousel can be closely linked to
the efforts of George Williams and Colorado artist Will Morton.
Carousels Themes
Many themes were used within the
art of the carousel some selected favorites are, Menageries,
The Wild West, Chariots, Mythology and Romance
Mythology
Ancient mythological themes often
frequent carousel art as mankind's association with the horse seems
to be ageless. Above Scythians going into combat with their horses
decorated as Sacred Ibex, from a Greek attic pottery design dating
to 550 BCE, reflects this ancient association. Scenes like this
from other myths and stories inspired numerous designs.
Jumpers
George Stubbs, ' Whistlejacket' , 1762. London,
National Gallery and " Lady Lade" 1793. Oil on canvas.
Royal Collection, UK
This theme was a favorite of many carvers and
the direct inspiration for the C.W. Parker jumper.
Knights and Maidens
Knights Horse Photograph From "Painted
Ponies" see credits below.
This horse is patterned after
those that carried 16th Century Knights in Armour. This is what
the horse of Joan of Ark, the Maid of Lorraine may have looked like.
Joan of Arc's horse
An officer of Napoleon's Royal Guard
French Cavalry Horse patterned after painting By Theodore Gericault
of French Cavalry Officer Circa 1812, Carousel horse Photograph
by William Manns From "Painted Ponies" By William
Manns, Peggy Shank, Marianne Stevens (Contributor), Dru Riley
(Editor)
Marianne
Stevens began collecting carousel art over 40 years ago.
She first fell in love with the carousels of Coney Island. She
is a leading authority on carousel art and its history, and was
a founding member of the American Carousel Society and National
Carousel Association.
Recommended Reading:
Painted Ponies can be purchased on line
at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com
Click on the links provided below for
information on the Video Production about Colorado's Historic
Carousel's
Colorado's Historic Carousels
About the Bronze Art
The C. W. Parker Jumper replica sculpture illustrated on this
page was created by Colorado artist Will Morton, Mold Making
by Highland Studio, cast at Boyce Bronze Casting,
with the Custom Graphics, ( Murphy Coat of Arms, Monograms and
Columbines) bronze finish work and polychrome Patina done By Comstock
Sculpture Studio, and decorative reins done by seamstress Cathleen
Lish becoming an artistic collaboration of outstanding beauty.
Will Morton has spent 27 years of his career involved
with the restorations of various carousels throughout Colorado.
The art is entitled "Chief's Pride" in honor of George
Williams whose career of public service in Pueblo and whose association
with the Colorado Carousel Association and the American
Carousel Association has been instrumental in the restoration
of carousels in Colorado.
NOTE: Bronze sculptures have an expected useful life of approximately
6,000 years, this collectors item is truly a legacy for the
ages.
For information about
how to purcahse the art Call: (303) 657 9778 Studio:
(720) 351 8864 or E-mail: chester058@artsales.com
