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Dumbo

User:
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts  Search this
Maker:
Walt Disney Productions  Search this
Measurements:
overall: 4 1/2 ft x 9 ft; 1.3716 m x 2.7432 m
Object Name:
Amusement Ride Car
amusement car, Dumbo ride
Used:
United States: California, Anaheim, Disneyland Resort
Date made:
1955
Depicted:
Dumbo  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Disneyland Resort (through Michael Eisner)
ID Number:
2005.0124.02
Accession number:
2005.0124
Catalog number:
2005.0124.02
See more items in:
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-b4e6-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_1292556

Archives Center Carousel Collection

Creator:
Fried, Frederick, 1909-1994  Search this
Illions, Bernard J.  Search this
Cernigliaro, Salvatore  Search this
Brill, Aaron K.  Search this
Cernigliaro, Marguerite  Search this
Pfaff, Mildred T.  Search this
Royal, Verna F.  Search this
Illions, Rudolph C.  Search this
Misklea, M. Francis  Search this
Former owner:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Cultural History  Search this
Extent:
1 Cubic foot (3 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Newsletters
Photographs
Patents
Auction catalogs
Clippings
Cyanotypes
Design drawings
Price lists
Trade catalogs
Date:
1925-1994.
Scope and Contents note:
A diverse collection of papers relating to amusement parks and playgrounds, with most of the papers relating to carousels. Contents include correspondence, photographs (including one cyanotype), exhibition catalogs, trade literature and trade catalogs, price lists, articles and clippings, newsletters, and patents (photocopies) for carousel animals. One series, that relating to the woodcarver Salvatore Cernigliaro, contains his sketchbook for carousel animal designs.
Arrangement:
Divided into 7 series, arranged by donor.
Related Materials:
Materials at the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Industry on Parade (NMAH.AC.0507)

Reel #191, Craftsmen of the Carousel, 1954. Manufacturing merry-go-rounds for amusement reports. Arrow Development Co., Mountain View, California.
Provenance:
Collection donated by multiple donors.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Occupation:
Wood-carvers  Search this
Topic:
Merry-go-round  Search this
Merry-go-round art  Search this
Playground equipment  Search this
Playgrounds  Search this
Amusement ride equipment industry  Search this
Amusement rides  Search this
Figure sculpture -- United States  Search this
Recreation  Search this
Genre/Form:
Newsletters
Photographs -- 20th century
Patents -- 20th century
Auction catalogs
Clippings
Cyanotypes
Design drawings
Price lists
Trade catalogs
Citation:
Archives Center Carousel Collection, 1925-1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0675
See more items in:
Archives Center Carousel Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8fc815563-fb49-412d-9533-b1f0cff36695
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0675
Online Media:

Frederick and Mary Hill Fried Folk Art Archives

Creator:
Fried, Frederick, 1909-1994  Search this
National Carousel Association.  Search this
Fried, Mary Hill  Search this
Extent:
36 Cubic feet (89 boxes, 10 map-folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Advertisements
Clippings
Blueprints
Books
Auction catalogs
Design drawings
Date:
circa 1662-1999, undated
Scope and Contents:
Collection primarily documents American folk art collected by Frederick Fried (1908-1994) and his wife Mary McKensie Hill Fried (1914-1988). It includes photographic materials, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, research files, lecture notes, unpublished manuscripts, brochures, drawings, printed advertisements, blueprints, books, patents, correspondence, trade literature, sheet music, auction catalogs, oral history interviews, and commercially recorded music. Of particular interest is the material relating to carousels. There is a substantial amount of material relating to New York architecture, wood carvings, show figures, weathervanes, mechanical and coin operated machines, amusement parks, the circus, tattoos and lesser-known folk arts. The collection is arranged by subject or genre in the order maintained by Frederick and Mary Fried.
Arrangement:
Series 1, Professional Materials, 1930-1995, undated

Subseries 1.1, Lectures, 1968-1989, undated

Subseries 1.2, Research Notes, 1962-1975, undated

Subseries 1.3, Published and Unpublished Materials, 1960-1990, undated

Subseries 1.4, Exhibitions, 1966-1985, undated

Subseries 1.5, Correspondence, 1945-1995, undated

Subseries 1.6, Office Files, 1930-1991, undated

Series 2, Sculptors and Ship Carvers, 1855-1987, undated

Series 3, Ship Carving Reference Files, 1875-1990, undated

Series 4, Show Figures, 1847-1989, undated

Subseries 4.1, Carvers, 1847-1987, undated

Subseries 4.2, Reference Files, 1864-1989, undated

Series 5: Carousels, 1851-1999, undated

Subseries 5.1, Reference Files, 1851-1990, undated

Subseries 5.2, Manufacturerst, 1854-1999, undated

Subseries 5.3, Carvers, undated

Subseries 5.4, Foreign, 1902, undated

Subseries 5.5, Organizations, 1974-1991, undated

Subseries 5.6, Museum Collections, 1959-1989, undated

Series 5.7, Sites, 1962-1991, undated

Series 6, Charles W. Parker Company, 1904-1905; 1922-1924, undated

Subseries 6.1, Glass Plate Negatives, 6x8, 1904-1905, undated

Subseries 6.2, Glass Plate Negatives, 8x10, 1922-1924, undated

Series 7, Amusements Parks, 1917-1992, undated

Series 8, Amusement Industry, 1662-1994, undated

Subseries 8.1, Companies, 1903, undated

Subseries 8.2, Reference Files, 1662-1994, undated

Series 9, Circus, 1902-1992, undated

Series 10, Architectural Ornaments, 1832-1988, undated

Subseries 10.1, Residential Architecture, 1899-1985, undated

Subseries 10.2, New York City Municipal Parks, 1968-1988, undated

Subseries 10.3, South Street Seaport, 1965-1970, undated

Subseries 10.4, New York Civic Sculpture, 1832-1977, undated

Subseries 10.5, Architectural Ornamentation, 1873-1985, undated

Series 11, Weathervanes, 1854-1981, undated

Series 12, Automatic, Coin Operated, and Vending Machines, 1960-1980, undated

Series 13, Banner Paintings and Painters, 1892-1999, undated

Series 14, Folk Arts, 1783-1999, undated

Subseries 14.1, Reference Files, 1831-1988, undated

Subseries 14.2, Clocks and Watches, 1869-1876; 1976, undated

Subseries 14.3, Eagles, 1843-1989, undated

Subseries 14.4, Musical Instruments, 1963-1999, undated

Subseries 14.5, Painters and Paintings, 1950-1990, undated

Subseries 14.6, Signs and Symbols, 1974, 1976, undated

Subseries 14.7, Other Materials, 1872-1988, undated

Subseries 14.8, Miscellaneous, 1783-1954, undated

Series 15: Photographic Materials, 1832-1988, undated

Subseries 15.1, Photographs and Contact Sheets, 1940-1984, undated

Subseries 15.1.1, America's Forgotten Arts, undated

Subseries 15.1.2, Artists in Wood, undated

Subseries 15.1.3, General, 1940-1984, undated

Subseries 15.2, Slides, 1832-1987, undated

Subseries 15.3, Negatives, undated

Subseries 15.4, Glass Plate Negatives, undated

Subseries 15.5, Snapshots, 1964-1988, undated

Subseries 15.5.1, Artists, Manufacturers, and Dealers, undated

Subseries 15.5.2, Museum Collections, 1964, undated

Subseries 15.5.3, Parks or Other Locations, undated

Subseries 15.5.4, Private Collections, 1987-1988, undated

Subseries 15.5.5, General, 1983-1988, undated

Series 16, Audiovisual Materials, 1940-1991, undated

Subseries 16.1, Audiocassette Tapes, 1971-1988, undated

Subseries 16.1.1, Lectures, 1974-1986, undated

Subseries 16.1.2, Interviews, 1971-1984, undated

Subseries 16.1.3, Music, 1972-1988, undated

Subseries 16.2, Audiotapes, 1940-1977, undated

Subseries 16.2.1, Lectures and Performances, 1969-1973, undated

Subseries 16.2.2, Interviews, 1940-1976, undated

Subseries 16.2.3, Conferences and Meetings, 1973-1977

Subseries 16.2.4, Music, 1956, undated

Subseries 16.2.5, Other, undated

Subseries 16.3, Videotapes, 1982-1991, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Frederick P. Fried was born December 11, 1908 in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn where his father owned a clock business across the street from Charles Carmel, a carousel carver. Fried acquired a fine-arts education in the 1930s with an emphasis on sculpture. He served with the Air Force during the Second World War. After a successful military career, Fried worked as art director in several fashion agencies. He met Mary McKenzie Hill, an academically trained artist in one of the studios.

Mary McKenzie Hill was born in 1914 in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from the Maryland Institute of Fine Arts. After graduation, she spent a year abroad studying before she returned to the United States to work as a fashion illustrator in Baltimore and New York. During World War Two Hill was a draftsman for a firm of architects.

Fried and Mary Hill married in 1949. The couple had two children Robert Hazen and Rachel. Around 1953 Fried began to collect architectural ornaments in New York. Fried served as the art director for Bonwit Teller in New York City from 1955-1962. He left the fashion world in 1962 to pursue his passion for collecting and writing full time. Fried published his first book, Pictorial History of Carousels in 1964. In 1967, Fred and Mary Fried purchased a forty-acre farm in Bristol, Vermont where the family spent their summers.

In 1968, Fried led a national campaign to preserve the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse (Seamen's Church Institute at South Street). He also became active in politics and served as the campaign manager for a New York State senator. His interest in Indian cigar store figures resulted in his publication Artists in Wood: American Carvers of Cigar Store Indians, Show Figures and Circus published in 1970. The focus of the book was Samuel Anderson Robb a New York wood carver. Fried co-founded the National Carousel Association in 1973. In 1978, Fried wrote America's Forgotten Folk Art with his wife Mary. This publication covered subjects such as carousels, banner painting, scarecrows, beach sand sculpture, tattoos, cast iron toys, amusement park architecture and trade signs.

Fried's collecting goal was to first preserve artifacts and to then make them available through his writings and exhibitions. His most treasured relics were the items he salvaged from the ruins of Coney Island. Fried referred to such artifacts as the uncelebrated arts. He became one of the founders of the Anonymous Arts Recovery Society a group of individuals who saved architectural ornaments from the wreckers' balls. In addition, he was one of the founders of the National Carousel Round Table which was created to preserve hand-carved merry-go-rounds. As a result of his collecting, research and writing Fried became recognized as the authority on carousels, coin-operated machines, and cigar store figures. He served as a consultant to many Museums; in particular as chief consultant on American Folk Art for the Smithsonian Institution.

Frederick and Mary Hill worked together in many ways to document, collect, preserve and increase the awareness about primarily the folk arts. Mary McKenzie Hill Fried passed away in 1988 at the age of seventy-four. Frederick P. Fried died July 1994 at the age of eighty-six.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

E. Howard Clock Company Records (NMAH.AC.00776)

M. Francis Misklea Carousel Collection (NMAH.AC.0665)

Archives Center Carousel Collection (NMAH.AC.0675)

Messmore and Damon, Incorporated Company Records (NMAH.AC.0846)

Anthony W. Pendergast Collection (NMAH.AC.0882)

Frank Paulin Photoprints (NMAH.AC.1373)

Wurlitzer Company Records (NMAH.AC.0469)

Industry on Parade (NMAH.AC.0507)

Reel #191, Craftsmen of the Carousel, 1954. Manufacturing merry-go-rounds for amusement reports. Arrow Development Co., Mountain View, California.

Materials at Other Organizations

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Frederick Fried Coney Island collection, 1847-2001

The collection consists of materials used by Frederick Fried in his research and writing about folk art and material culture, especially related to Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. A significant portion of the collection consists of the personal archive of William F. Mangels, which was purchased by Fried in 1955. Mangels was a designer and manufacturer of amusement rides and founder of the American Museum of Public Recreation at Coney Island. Subjects include amusement parks, amusement rides, architecture, bathing pavilions, beaches, beauty contests, carousels, carousel animals, Brooklyn, coin-operated machines, Coney Island, exhibitions, games of chance and skill, hotels, mechanical rides, mechanization, parades, pleasure railways, recreation, roller coasters, sideshows, transportation, and other subjects related to American material culture and popular amusement.
Provenance:
Collection a bequest of the Frederick Fried Estate.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Fees for commercial reproduction.
Occupation:
Wood-carvers  Search this
Topic:
Periodicals  Search this
Merry-go-round art  Search this
Signs and signboards  Search this
Weather vanes  Search this
Coin-operated machines  Search this
Architecture -- Details  Search this
Amusement ride equipment industry  Search this
Amusement rides  Search this
Folk art  Search this
Merry-go-round  Search this
Figure sculpture -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs -- 20th century
Advertisements
Clippings
Blueprints -- 20th century
Books
Auction catalogs
Design drawings
Citation:
Frederick and Mary Hill Fried Folk Art Archives, circa 1662-1999, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0528
See more items in:
Frederick and Mary Hill Fried Folk Art Archives
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep86ee1b419-6b88-4312-8172-ee9f05d72195
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0528
Online Media:

Theel Amusement Ride Manufacturing Company, Leavenworth, Kansas

Collection Creator:
Fried, Frederick, 1909-1994  Search this
National Carousel Association.  Search this
Fried, Mary Hill  Search this
Container:
Box 18, Folder 20
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Fees for commercial reproduction.
Collection Citation:
Frederick and Mary Hill Fried Folk Art Archives, circa 1662-1999, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Frederick and Mary Hill Fried Folk Art Archives
Frederick and Mary Hill Fried Folk Art Archives / Series 5: Carousels / 5.2: Manufacturers
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep816c5df4a-169c-466f-89a4-c6e8168bf02c
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0528-ref1424

Directory of Imported Amusement Rides

Collection Creator:
Fried, Frederick, 1909-1994  Search this
National Carousel Association.  Search this
Fried, Mary Hill  Search this
Container:
Box 32, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1973
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Fees for commercial reproduction.
Collection Citation:
Frederick and Mary Hill Fried Folk Art Archives, circa 1662-1999, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Frederick and Mary Hill Fried Folk Art Archives
Frederick and Mary Hill Fried Folk Art Archives / Series 7: Amusement Parks
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8966cdce3-f799-4c04-a1a9-126d03ab9e70
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0528-ref1809

Newspaper Clippings: "Jim Thorpe Day"

Collection Creator:
Thorpe, Grace F.  Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 16
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1969
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited users to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not changed, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Grace F. Thorpe Collection, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Grace F. Thorpe Collection
Grace F. Thorpe Collection / Series 5: Jim Thorpe and His Legacy
Archival Repository:
National Museum of the American Indian
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sv4d430a128-8dc0-4465-bada-2c9ec4005351
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmai-ac-085-ref139
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Herschell, Allan, Company, Incorporated

Series Creator:
Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969  Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 5
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents:
Manufacturer of Amusement Rides

Catalogue, 1962

Buffalo, New York
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Series Citation:
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Toys, Models, and Hobbies, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
See more items in:
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Toys, Models, and Hobbies
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Toys, Models, and Hobbies / Business Records, Marketing Material, and Other / Manufacturers and Distributors of Toys, Games, Sleds, Dolls, Model Trains and Children's Vehicles
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8bd5f6fc1-ab0d-4046-81a3-06c651623da3
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0060-s01-01-toys-ref612

M. Francis Misklea Carousel Collection

Creator:
Spillman Engineering Corporation  Search this
Misklea, M. Francis  Search this
Allan Herschell Co.  Search this
Hershell-Spillman Company  Search this
Collector:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Cultural History  Search this
Extent:
2 Cubic feet (6 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Letters (correspondence)
Advertisements
Design drawings
Clippings
Stereographs
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Date:
1879-1956
Scope and Contents:
Miscellaneous documents, catalogs, scrapbooks, photographs and printed material relating to the carousels and other amusement park rides of the Allan Herschell Company (which earlier in its existence was called the Herschell-Spillman Company and the Spillman Engineerng Corporation).
Arrangement:
1 series.
Biographical / Historical:
Employee of the Allan Herschell Company, which manufactured amusement park rides.
Provenance:
Donated by Francis Misklea in 1974.
Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Merry-go-round art  Search this
Amusement rides  Search this
Amusement ride equipment industry  Search this
Merry-go-round  Search this
Genre/Form:
Letters (correspondence) -- 1850-1900
Advertisements
Design drawings
Clippings
Stereographs
Scrapbooks
Photographs -- 19th century
Photographs -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence) -- 20th century.
Citation:
M. Francis Misklea Carousel Collection, 1879-1956, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0665
See more items in:
M. Francis Misklea Carousel Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep849d90057-0608-4bb0-a417-dd724cfa817c
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0665
Online Media:

Inventory by state of amusement rides. Also prices of rides

Collection Creator:
Spillman Engineering Corporation  Search this
Misklea, M. Francis  Search this
Allan Herschell Co.  Search this
Hershell-Spillman Company  Search this
Container:
Box 4, Folder 5
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1940-1950
Collection Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
M. Francis Misklea Carousel Collection, 1879-1956, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
See more items in:
M. Francis Misklea Carousel Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8f0d834fb-7b9a-4274-8434-e04c17ba6068
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0665-ref632

[Boy on electric horse, Lake Tahoe, Calif. : color slide (chromogenic color phototransparency).]

Photographer:
Sultner-Welles, Donald H. (Sultner, Donald Harvey), 1914-1981  Search this
Collection Collector:
Sultner-Welles, Donald H. (Sultner, Donald Harvey), 1914-1981  Search this
Collection Printer:
Janus, Allan  Search this
Collection Interviewee:
Hanfstaengl, Erna  Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Color-dye gelatin on film., 2-1/4" x 2-1/4".)
Container:
Box 1 (Series 5), Sheet 49
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Tahoe, Lake Calif. -- 1950-1970 -- Photographs
Date:
Circa 1960s
Scope and Contents:
Coin-operated amusement ride.
Local Numbers:
AC0145-0000053.tif (AC scan no.)
General:
Videodisc frame 399.
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves provided by Archives Center staff.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Amusement rides -- Photographs  Search this
Boys  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs -- Phototransparencies -- 1960-1990
Photographs -- 1960-1970 -- Color transparencies
See more items in:
Donald H. Sultner-Welles Collection
Donald H. Sultner-Welles Collection / Series 5: Transparencies / 5.1: United States / Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8c7cc204c-5935-4b36-9224-e4379a3e5d6b
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0145-ref11684

Design/Display Companies

Collection Creator:
Bird, William L.  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1890 - 2010
Scope and Contents:
This series is divided into thirty-one subseries and onsists primarily of catalogs and product literature for companies that designed, fabricated and installed parade floats and or window displays as well as manufactured and installed amusement rides. Most of the companies are from the United States, but some companies are international. For example, Anton Schwarzkopf (1924--001) a German engineer of amusement rides and founder of the Schwarzkopf Industries company, built numerous rides and large roller coasters for both amusement parks and traveling funfairs.

Messmore & Damon comprises the largest subseries. It was one of the most influential design companies from the 1920s to the 1960s. The company produced a wide variety of parade floats, dioramas for museums, exhibits for expositions, displays for department stores, scenery for films, Broadway and television shows, and exhibits for corporate clients. Most of its parade and department store work featured mechanical devices which animated the animal and human figures involved, pioneering what became known as "animatronics". George Harold Messmore and Joseph Damon formed Messmore & Damon in 1914 and earned a reputation for building amazing displays for world's fairs such as Chicago's 1933 Century of Progress Exposition.

The Eden Musee materials document a New York City amusement place which opened in March of 1884. Founded by a Frenchman, Count Kessler and a New Yorker, Richard G. Hollaman, the Eden featured various acts--fencers, singers, dancers, wax figures, motion picture movies, and flower shows. The Eden Musee filed for bankruptcy in 1915 and eventually moved to Coney Island under the ownership of Sam Gumpertz. Companies that manufactured artificial flowers and papers (foil and crepe) are also represented. Samples of crepe papers made by the The Dennison Manufacturing Company and foil papers by Gasthoff's Display Service, Inc. are found here. The materials are arranged alphabetically by company name.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs, negatives, and slides.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
William L. Bird Holidays on Display Collection, 1877-2010, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1288, Series 8
See more items in:
William L. Bird Holidays on Display Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8e6fc8e07-e6dc-47e7-ba5f-7fa0e53e08f5
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1288-ref45

Carnival

Artist:
Linda Nez, active since late 1970s  Search this
Medium:
commercial yarn
Dimensions:
43 x 57 1/2 in. (109.3 x 146.1 cm)
Type:
Decorative Arts-Fiber
Folk Art
Date:
1992
Topic:
Figure group  Search this
Recreation\carnival  Search this
Object\other\sign  Search this
Architecture Exterior\commercial\recreation  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Object number:
1997.124.188
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Decorative Arts
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7f59f767f-557a-4ff9-be19-5b4963a9690c
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1997.124.188

Tea Cup

User:
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts  Search this
Disneyland Resort  Search this
Maker:
Walt Disney Productions  Search this
Measurements:
overall: 3 ft x 7 ft; .9144 m x 2.1336 m
Object Name:
Amusement Ride Car
Used:
United States: California, Anaheim, Disneyland Resort
Date made:
1955
Credit Line:
Gift of Disneyland Resort (through Michael Eisner)
ID Number:
2005.0124.01
Catalog number:
2005.0124.01
Accession number:
2005.0124
See more items in:
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-c0ad-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_1292555

The American amusement park industry : a history of technology and thrills / Judith A. Adams

Author:
Adams, Judith A  Search this
Physical description:
xvi, 225 p. : ill. ; 23 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
United States
Date:
1991
C1991
Topic:
Amusement parks--History  Search this
Amusement parks--Economic aspects  Search this
Amusement ride equipment industry--History  Search this
Call number:
GV1853.2.A43 1991X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_413877

Astroland Photographs

Extent:
0.67 Gigabytes (33 digital image files)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Digital images
Place:
Coney Island (New York, N.Y.)
Date:
January 4, 2009
Summary:
This collection consists of 33 color digital images made by Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Space History curator Margaret Weitekamp on January 4, 2009, during her collecting trip to the space-themed Astroland Park at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, four months after amusement park had closed to the public. The images include views of Astroland signage and rides as well as several hand-made signs affixed to security fencing by the members of the public.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 33 color digital images (3072 x 2304 pixel JPG files) made by NASM Space History curator Margaret Weitekamp on January 4, 2009, during her collecting trip to Astroland Park at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. The images include views of the star-topped sign at the Surf Avenue entrance, the rocket-shaped Astroland Park sign above Gregory & Paul's food concession stand, the Astroland ticket booth, the AstroTower gyro tower ride, the Wonder Wheel Ferris wheel, the iconic Cyclone roller coaster (first opened in 1927), a memorial plaque dedicated to Astroland founder Dewey Albert, and several hand-made signs affixed to security fencing by the members of the public following the park's closure in 2008.
Arrangement:
The images are arranged in chronological order.
Biographical / Historical:
In 1962, Dewey Albert and his business partners founded Astroland, a space-themed amusement park located at 1000 Surf Avenue, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, at the height of the space craze generated in the early 1960s by the successes of United States' human space flights, including John Glenn's orbital flight. The park's first amusement was a 71-foot long rocket ride initially called the Cape Canaveral Satellite Jet (although later continually renamed and refreshed during the 46-year life of the park). Mounted on hydraulic lifts, with fixed seats, a movie screen, and a sound system, the 12,000 pound ride took visitors on a simulated trip to the Moon. The Colonel Glenn Sky Ride, quickly renamed the Mercury Capsule Skyride, flew visitors above the park in plastic bubble cars. A star-topped entranceway sign, added to the Surf Avenue entrance in 1963, reflected the space theme of the park. After Astroland closed on September 7, 2008, owners Carol and Jerome Albert donated one of the sign's two stars to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in 2009 [Lighted Sign, Star, Astroland, A20090091000].
Provenance:
Margaret Weitekamp, NASM Space History Department, transfer, 2022, NASM.2022.0021
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Topic:
Astronautics  Search this
Amusement parks  Search this
Amusement parks--New York (State)--History  Search this
Amusement rides -- Photographs  Search this
Genre/Form:
Digital images
Citation:
Astroland Photographs, Acc. NASM.2022.0021, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2022.0021
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2f13eaa76-5667-48ba-9456-bf78a725bf1e
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2022-0021
Online Media:

Catalogue "G" / Herschell-Spillman Company

Author:
Herschell-Spillman Company  Search this
Physical description:
30 p. : ill. ; 22 cm
Type:
Catalogs
Date:
1970
1978
[197-?]
Topic:
Amusement rides  Search this
Amusement parks--Equipment and supplies--Catalogs  Search this
Merry-go-round--Catalogs  Search this
Call number:
GV1859 .H57
GV1859.H57
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_344375

Riverview Park, (painting)

Painter:
Ross, Torey  Search this
Medium:
Oil on panel
Type:
Paintings
Date:
Ca. 1930
Topic:
Landscape--Time--Night  Search this
Landscape--Illinois--Chicago  Search this
Landscape--Park  Search this
Landscape--River--Chicago River  Search this
Architecture exterior--Commercial--Recreation  Search this
Control number:
IAP 89500020
Data Source:
Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_ari_380998

A brief history of the ferris wheel : together with a short biography of George W.G. Ferris, Esq

Author:
Ferris Wheel Co  Search this
Subject:
Ferris, George Washington Gale 1859-1896  Search this
Physical description:
[9] p. : ill. ; 20 cm
Type:
Books
Date:
1893
C1893
Topic:
Amusement rides  Search this
Call number:
GV1860.F3 B85
GV1860.F3B85
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_146549

Big Eli news

Author:
Eli Bridge Company  Search this
Physical description:
v. : ill. ; 24 cm
Type:
Periodicals
Date:
19uu
Topic:
Amusement rides--Periodicals  Search this
Call number:
GV1859 .B592
GV1859.B592
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_157235

[Trade catalogs on amusement boats : Uzzell Scoota-Boats ... ]

Author:
R.S. Uzzell Corporation  Search this
Smithsonian Libraries American History Trade Literature Collection DSI  Search this
Physical description:
<1> v. : ill
Type:
Catalogs
Trade catalogs
Date:
193u
[193-?]-
Topic:
Boats and boating  Search this
Amusement rides  Search this
Call number:
053333
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_701741

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