Marcus Illions
M. C. Illions and Sons Carousel Works – 1908-1927
Marcus Charles Illions (1874-1949) was a master carver of wooden carousel horses and other figures who flourished in the Coney Island section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn in the early 20th Century. The New York Times referred to him as “the Michelangelo of carousel carvers”. ILLIONS arrived in America in 1888 at the age of 17. Although born in Russia, his carving skills were polished in Germany and England. Illions worked with Looff in the beginning, but some time around the turn of the century he began a collaboration with a carousel builder named W. F. Mangels. Together, these two created marvelous carousels.. .full of fantasy and imagination. In about 1908, Illions established his own firm, calling it the “M. C. Illions and Sons Carousell Works.” Illions was a prolific carousel carver and manufacturer, creating amazingly artistic carousels right up to the Great Depression. Harry’s eldest son, Harry, would be a major player in the amusement part industry through the 1850s.
Marcus Illions history on Wikipedia
