A Closer Look at the 1890s Sulzer’s Harlem River Park Carousel Makes Ontario Beach Art Look Tame
The Ca. 1890s Louis Bopp – Charles Looff carousel that operated at Sulzer’s Harlem River and later at Krause’s Halfmoon Beach, first came to my attention thanks to Bill Benjamin, who along with Barbara Williams and Lourinda Bray, brought a new depth to articles in The Carousel News & Trader. Bill restored a very early Looff stander, named “Mascot” from that carousel, and from there he delved into the history of the whole machine.
Bill Benjamin’s very early Looff stander, “Mascott”, before and after restoration.
Bill brought the horse back to original paint, and brought a long lost carousel to everyone’s attention. The story of Mascot’s restoration not only brought extensive new light to the Louis Bopp-Charles Looff carousel the horse was aboard, but also to its builder, Louis Bopp, The owners, the Kolb family and others around the carousel, as well as the history of the parks it traveled to.
The nicest photograph of the whole carousel is taken at Sulzer’s Harlem River Park, somewhere between 1896-1908. The park was located between 126th and 127th Sts. at 2nd street. Basketball and handball courts now occupy the area on the Harlem River in a park called “Crack is Wack Playground”.
The 1890s Bopp-Looff was a beautiful carousel with some unusual touches like the embroidered velvet panels draped beneath the rounding boards. A very early Looff lion and the extremely rare Looff Teddy Bear were among the figures aboard the carousel. Another distinct touch to this carousel was the center housing art.
1890s Louis Bopp-Charles Looff Carousel at Sulzer’s Harlem River Park, ca. 1900. Photo appeared in the CNT, June 2009, and Oct. 2010. Photo courtesy of the Sand Lake Historical Society. (Originally donated by Robert Kolb).
I’ve made a gallery of the Bopp carousel and housing art, enlarging the same photo (shown above) to highlight parts of the whole carousel… one part being the very distinct art in the center. Remember, this photo is circa 1900, in a park in the heart of Harlem.
The folks in Rochester who are suddenly having a coronary over one simple housing art panel with two black kids and a riled up rooster on a farm, should take a look at the art on this carousel, when it was in Harlem, from the late 1890s-1907. (See Ontario Beach Dentzel story here)
There is no “guessing” if these pictures are offensive, they are clearly and blatantly so. But, this was considered humorous then. And so much in the main stream, it was painted on a carousel for all to see.
The white gentleman gets a “too close” shave in this carousel art panel, considered every day humor in 1900.
Slavery and Native American massacres along the ensuing, ongoing rampant racism were and are clear and blatant and a big part of American history, like it or not, except when people pretend these things don’t exist and ignore them as a remedy… “Sweep it under the carpet” so to speak as they want to do with this simple art panel on a 110 year old carousel in Ontario Beach. Certainly, the Ontario Dentzel panel is not offensive at all, if we are grading on scale, next to Sulzer’s Harlem River Park carousel. What did some teacher in Ontario say about their art panel? “Garbage Art”? I’m glad I never had any classes with that teacher. A teacher is supposed to teach “how to think” and open your mind, not “what to think” and close it.
This is history. Offensive or otherwise. Learn from it. Teach from it. If you hide or discard it, you will learn nothing from it and just make all the same mistakes again. We’re human. That’s what we do. So I think best to learn all we can from those before us.
The 1905 Ontario Beach Dentzel carousel in Rochester, NY. “Offensive” art panel inset.
And speaking of human. Where were the people so offended by the carousel art panel 3 months ago? Six months ago? 3 years ago? And so on. The carousel is 100 years old. Suddenly a whole bunch of people looked up for the first time? What would Shakespeare say? What are these people really trying to do, who have suddenly appeared to right this immense wrong in time before it soils another generation. This is silly, folks.
I have always said that an antique carousel will give you all the publicity you want, but this with the panel, (and the other recent story of the Confederate flag on the horse at the zoo)… this is just crazy. I’ve had at least 50 if not 100 news alerts on both. And it just makes me wonder, what is it these people are really outraged about? Or more likely afraid of? Or what are they trying to prove?
I don’t think any ugly thoughts when I see the painting of the two kids on a farm with a mean rooster, so why would I think it would elicit ugly thoughts in anyone else?
Sulzer’s Carousel might be a different story. Those paintings tell a clear story, nothing vague or open to interpretation there. If Sulzer’s Bopp carousel was still around, it most certainly should be at the center of some museum, surrounded by other things from ca. 1900, so people could walk around the carousel and look at the pretty horses and animals, and at those “art” panels, and think, “Wow. And on a family fun ride, a young lover’s ride, that was the art, and that was okay with the general public then. Wow, just 100 years ago, that was okay.” And it should make you feel a little ill. And hopefully you don’t forget it.
(CLICK HERE FOR THE SULZER’S HARLEM RIVER PARK CAROUSEL PHOTO GALLERY)
The Stories on Sulzer’s Carousel Art Panels, ca. 1890s…
From the Oct. 2010 CNT, Story by Lourinda Bray…
“Covering the upper section of the center are paintings; each with a frame with what looks to be carvings along the oval opening and leaf shapes toward the top and bottom. A “Greenman” face completes the top of the frame and curves complete the bottom. In actuality, these are masterfully done tromp l’oeuil paintings from what appears to be draped material above the frames to the last curlicue. I was completely fooled until I noticed that the frames are flat as they turn away going around the center structure. At the bottom of the frames are three lights on goose necks: one at each corner and one in the middle; all aiming slightly downward. The paintings are depictions of “Blacks” in what were considered at the time to be humorous and stereotypical situations. From left, the first painting is a sign that has an enormous “5 cents” (symbol) and a smaller “A RIDE”. Next to it is a girl child (referred to as a “Pickininny”) eating a watermelon slice with a mule in the background.
The next panel is a Black barber accidentally cutting his White client’s throat during a shave. The 4th shows a Black waiter serving a White customer and pouring the coffee over him. The 5th shows a White farmer with a scythe accidentally catching a Black fellow (who is facing the other way) about his legs. According to the Kolb family, this painting was titled “A Short Cut”. And the next painting states: “Henry Kolb, Prop” and “Louis Bopp, M.F.G.R. of Carrousels”. We can not tell what is hidden behind the post, but the final panel which can be seen, is of a Black woman arranging the hair of a young Black boy wearing only white shorts and holding a rabbit by one rear leg. One can only imagine what images the rest of the paintings depicted…”
A Deeper Look in the Sulzer’s Carousel
CN&T Oct. 2010 – READ THE FULL STORY HERE >>>
From Sulzer’s to Krause’s for Bopp-Looff Carousel
CN&T June 2009 – READ THE FULL STORY HERE >>>
CarouselCorner.net
Restoring “Mascot”, and Early Looff Stander
CN&T Dec. 08 – READ THE FULL STORY HERE >>>
