October Fall Classic
Lot 2046c:
Description
1920’s Allen Herschell “transition” carousel horse that has been made into a rocking horse. Herschell was the carousel maker that famously created transitional wooden horses with cast aluminum parts beginning in the late 1920s and early 1930s as a cost-saving measure for quick carnival repairs. These “half & half” horses featured a wooden body with aluminum legs, heads, and tails, which were easier to replace than solid wood. This innovation was part of the transition from all-wood figures to fully aluminum ones, a shift that Herschell successfully spearheaded. This horse is all there, totally stripped of paint, and mounted on a custom wood rocking frame. It is signed by the craftsman who did it in 1987. An english style leather saddle has been put on top of the original wood saddle. As a carousel horse it is an important piece because it was the beginning of the end of the famous carved figures. The industry evolved to all aluminum figures, and then to the fiberglass figures of today. Measures 48″ long, 58″ tall, and 27″ wide to the outside of the rockers.
Circa 1940’s cast aluminum carousel horse most likely from a San Antonio Roller Works or a Mangles carousel. All we know is that it came off of a carousel that was parted out in southern Illinois in the 1970’s. The horse is a jumper with very nice paint. Comes mounted on a pole and a steel diamond plate base. Comes with a pair of stirrups but no straps or bridle. NOTE: Pickup/Transport required. Contacts available post-auction.
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