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Looff Horses, Feltman Carousel
(FL101-FL103,
FL300S, FL300J)
These nineteenth
century carvings are among the oldest American carousel horses in
existence. Their
agreeably quaint,
primitive style is typical of Looff's
earliest work,
which differs dramatically from the
styles of later
carvers working in the Looff factory.
The embossed brass
tassels, rings and leaves accenting
star-cut mirrors are similar to earlier European
prototypes. The parrot heads on each side
of the saddles have beautiful
yellow glass eyes.
A unique feature
of the outside horses (100 series) was their later adaptation for
incandescent illumination.
The original mirrors on the front harness were
replaced with
large jewels set over holes to transmit
light from the
interior. Each horse has a concealed
access door and contains a porcelain
light socket.
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