Merry-Go-Round Goat
circa 1900
72 1/4 in. (183.5 cm)
Charles Looff
United States
(Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, 1852 - 1918, Long Beach, California)
Object Type:
Recreational Artifact
Medium and Support:
Wood and paint
Credit Line:
General Acquisitions Fund
Accession Number:
1971.40
Location: Currently on view
In the second half of the nineteenth century, with the rising popularity of resort communities on streetcar routes, carvers began to specialize in carousel and merry-go-round figures to populate the musical rides.
Unfortunately, we don’t know the original location of MAG’s Goat. Based on the style of the carving of the saddle and bridle, it is likely that it was made by Charles Looff, whose company manufactured the first carousel at Coney Island.
[Gallery label text, 2002]