Carousels are so ubiquitous to fairs these days that they are, for many, the boring ride. "If it doesn't even go fast or upside-down or drop suddenly, is it even a ride?", some might ask. Yes, it is. But it also used to be the most exciting thing on the fairground.
For our November/December 2025 Object column, closing out the year, we focused on the glitz and glamour of Carousels. When they first entered the leisure arena, they felt ground-breaking and even magical. What most don't know, though, is that each animals was hand-carved for nearly two centuries. Before cast fiberglass forms, expert carvers, painters, and artists worked to meet the massive demand for figures that could hold up to hard use. In the United States, these men were primarily immigrants building lives through hard-earned craft.
Those who rode their animals, from horses to frogs, were able to spend a few minutes in a magically parallel universe spinning in place. "The market for collecting carousel figures, especially finely carved antique examples," we wrote in the piece, grew out of this nostalgia. You likely can't (and probably should try to) fit a fairground in your backyard, but you can bring a five-foot-tall horse or a six-foot-long tiger into your living room."
Writing this piece and interviewing carousel experts and dealers was a joyful journey through a field grounded in joy. However, the most exciting thing about the November/December 2025 issue of the Magazine Antiques actually is not, shockingly, our regular Object column. Instead, it's the fact that the guest editor is Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser. How is Dr. Kornhauser? Good question. She is a Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at The MET. Also a noted author, speaker, Dr. Kornhauser offers an important perspective on American art that is informed by our national narrative.
Understanding the creative output that has happened through the American experiment provides context and understanding about who we, as a nation, are. A culture is defined through artistic creation and the act of having something to say with staying power. In this moment, the question of "what do we have to say?" has never felt more potent.
Read the Object feature in the November/December 2025 issue of the Magazine Antiques HERE, and remember to support the magazines you love by subscribing.
