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| The Game Bird Horse |
The New England Carousel Museum located on 95 Riverside Ave.
in the heart of Bristol is on a mission.
This beautiful museum has one of the largest collections of carousel art
in the country and wants to welcome a new horse to their magnificent
collection.
Located in a 33,000 square foot restored silk mill factory
building, the museum preserves and displays carousel art, which is fast
becoming a vanishing art form of Americana.
Their mission is dedicated to the acquisition, restoration and
preservation of operating carousels, and carousel memorabilia as well as the
creation of new carousel material for the education and the pleasure of
visitors.
The latest quest of the New England Carousel Museum is the
acquisition and continued preservation of the Game Bird Horse. Recently, the museum was informed by the
estate of Marianne Stevens that she had bequeathed a spectacular jumper horse,
named the Game Bird Horse to the Carousel Museum Collection. Marianne, the co-author of Painted Ponies decided
to leave this horse to the New England Carousel Museum’s collection because it
once rode on a Connecticut Carousel.
The Game Bird Horse will add immeasurably to the Museum’s
collection. John Zalar, a carver of
great note for the carousel manufacturer Charles Looff, created the horse. The Game Bird horse has a masterfully carved “peek-a-boo”
mane and two realistic quail at the back of its saddle and many other beautiful
details.
In the spring of 1946, the Game Bird Horse began whirling on
the carrousel at Ocean Beach Park in New London Connecticut before Marianne
Stevens eventually acquired it.
To find out more about how to get the Game Bird Horse back
to Connecticut from Roswell, New Mexico visit http://www.thecarouselmuseum.org
because every donation brings this wonderful gift to Connecticut closer to its’
new home at the New England Carousel Museum.
