Carousel Horse, Southern Belle

Possibly Marcus Charles Illions

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Object Label

This carousel horse with its flamboyant mane, colored glass jewels, and animated pose typifies the Coney Island style. Its manufacturer, M. C. Illions and Sons Carousel Works, began using gold-leaf manes by 1900. The practice was adopted by other companies and quickly became a trademark of Coney Island carved horses.

Caption

Possibly Marcus Charles Illions American, born Lithuania, 1866–1950. Carousel Horse, Southern Belle, ca. 1910. Wood, pigment, gilding, glass, metal, Approximate dimensions of horse only: 58 x 19 x 58 in. (147.3 x 48.3 x 147.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Marianne S. Stevens, 2013.49a-e. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2013.49a-e_view1_PS9.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Carousel Horse, Southern Belle

Date

ca. 1910

Medium

Wood, pigment, gilding, glass, metal

Dimensions

Approximate dimensions of horse only: 58 x 19 x 58 in. (147.3 x 48.3 x 147.3 cm)

Credit Line

Bequest of Marianne S. Stevens

Accession Number

2013.49a-e

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

Frequent Art Questions

  • Wow!

    This work is actually the one that inspired the curator to do a show on Coney Island! What do you think of it?
    I like it! It's like a carnival kaleidoscope.
    I love the way you just described it, yes! There is so much going on, you may have read this in the label but the artist, Joseph Stella, visualized the park's nickname as the Electric Eden as Coney Island was always lit up with lights!

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