The weather in New York City improved a little this week. So I am posting a photo of this carousel at Bryant Park.The carousel, from the Italian word garosello and Spanish word carosella ("little war"), was first built by Turkish and Arabian cavalries in the 1100s as a training apparatus for combat on horseback. Soldiers would practice their archery skills and sword plays while sitting on the moving wooden horses. These carousels were usually kept within the castle walls and not seen by the public.
In the early-1800s, colorful wooden horses suspended on a poles and powered by ropes and pulleys were unveiled at carnivals and fairs in England and Europe. Steam powered machines and music were added later and the popularity of carousels began to rise. The golden age of carousels were in the early 1900s when elaborate animals and decorative chariots were added to the rides.
17 comments:
:))
i saw that carrousel in the movies for many times...but i never experienced it here.
It looks very pleasant for all the people i think....I think we both can ride it, lavender.
;-)
jing
shanghai daily photo
lavender lady & jing - I will ride it with you both. I will even spring for some cotton candies. :-)
Carrousel in a non-amusement park? From what you commented, it's still operational, ya?
Very atmospheric. There was a steam powered version in London a few months ago.
what a lovely picture! there is a carrousel like that in paris in the le sacre coure. You can see it in the film amelie. beautiful!!
This is one of the most beautiful carousels I have ever seen. It's like stepping into a fairy tale. Great shot :)
~Lisa
one of the things I enjoy most about your site is that you rarely (if ever) go for 'the easy shot'. Meaning of course, we rarely (again, ever?) see the overused tourist shots.
Today is a fantastic example. The subject is every bit as beautiful as a skyline view complete with the Brooklyn Bridge. The intimacy of your portraits are really enchanting.
Kudos to you Ming the Merciless!
tigerfish - Yes, it's operational. During the summer, it's extremely popular among kids.
steve, missy, wellspring, chris&deb - Thanks for the nice words.
Even though the weather is cold, this picture looks warm....
I think you did a great job on this post not only because the photo is great but the story is too. I am in or have been in journalism for many years (mostly magazines) and appreciate the story with the photo and you seem to have it here.
Thanks to for your visits to my 720pixels blog.
Le plus beau jardin de New York "Le Petit Luxembourg". Ce carrousel est vraiment superbe. Bravo pour ta photo.
The most beautiful garden of New York “Small Luxembourg”. This carrousel is really superb. Cheer for your photograph.
Have you taken a ride on it already? :-)
Interesting background information, thanks for enlightening us.
This looks French to me, so many fancy details. What a nice surprise, and great info as noted already.
oh, what a great finding Ming!
this photo looks so romantic to me!
I love your detailed descriptions of each image published. Then each one photo is... How to say, "searched" and never usual. Thank you very much.
---Ehm in Italian "carrousel" it's "carosello" :-)
And, I'm struck by the detail of the top portion of the carousel. Nice job!!
What a great photo, Ming! The carrousel reminds me of the one they set up each Christmas in front of Town Hall of Paris...
Thanks for the info, too.
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