Continuing with the topic of carousels, here’s a little basic “modern” carousel information for you to ponder.
DYK it was considered risqué for Victorian women to ride early carousels? Women of that time didn’t sit astride a horse but rode side-saddle. A woman’s suitor helped her on and off and stood next to her, putting an arm around her waist to steady her during the ride. He also got to see her exposed ankle. (Gasp!) Older women, or those of a more cautious nature, rode the carousel’s chariots.
Styles
Carousels created in America fall into three distinct styles: Philadelphia and Coney Island, found in permanent parks, and Country Fair, used by traveling carnivals. The specific carousel style is dictated by the animals.
Philadelphia-style animal bodies are larger, stronger, and more realistic. Horses are usually from medieval or Roman times and are decorated for war. Coney Island-style animal bodies are slimmer and more stylized with more spirited expressions and jewel-encrusted trappings. The animals can also be more whimsical—like sea serpents and mermaids.
Country Fair-style carousels must be set up and taken down easily and often. So their animal bodies are small and compact with more primitive looks and minimal trappings.
Movement
Over the years, carousel animals’ movements have evolved. On the early carousels, horses hung suspended from above. When the carousel turned, centrifugal force pushed the horses outward, making them “fly” away from the center. They became known as “flying-horses” carousels.
The next development was the addition of a platform to the bottom of the carousel. Animals, now on poles, were attached to this platform and all simply revolved in a circle. Finally, a device was created to raise and lower the animals as the platform rotated. This provided the rider with the sensation of actually being on a live animal.
- DYK the modern chair-swing ride evolved from “flying horses” carousels?
- DYK one of the oldest carousels in the U.S. is the flying horses carousel in Watch Hill, Rhode Island? Until 1879 it was part of a traveling carnival.
- DYK the first patent for a “flying horses” carousel was given to a Brooklyn business in 1850?
Size and Speed
If you think all carousel animals are the same size and travel at the same speed, think again. Because animals on the outside row have further to go as they circle around, they have a faster linear speed than those animals near the center. Animals on the outside row are also the largest. Animal sizes decrease as you move from outside in. Because of this, they’re often seen as father, mother, and child.
- DYK owners often named their carousel horses? Names provided personalities, bringing the horses to life for the riders.
- DYK the “romance side” of a carousel animal is the side that faces away from the center? The outer row’s romance side is the most elaborately decorated of all carousel animals because it’s what potential riders see. The inner row’s non-romance side is the plainest.
- DYK each carousel has a “lead” horse? Carousel legend says it’s the largest and most ornate of all the carousel animals. It is located on the outer row and is often a military or war horse. If there is a chariot, the lead horse is the first horse immediately behind it.
The Brass Ring
By the time the carousel arrived in America, it was used strictly for entertainment. However, one European knight-training tradition came with it. Rather than spearing metal rings, carousel riders tried to grab them. If you grabbed the brass ring, you traditionally won a free ride. Over time, this phrase has become an American idiom. It means to go after something you really want, but that will be difficult to achieve.
If finding and riding a carousel is your brass ring, come back next week for the final Did You Know? carousels.