The NCA Carousel Identification Project on this page was completed on 04/11/2011
The Request:
A friend and I bought this carousel goat from a couple in Cherokee county GA. They got it at a storage auction. So unfortunately I know nothing about this piece. I have beat my head up against a wall trying to figure out where it came from and what it is. The friend that bought the piece with me says the craftsmanship and woodwork would have to be early 1900's or older. I do not know if it has been restored but it appears to have been repainted. I also think the rocker was added much later to be used in a home for a child. I have attached several pics from several angles. It looks very much like the 1905 D.C. Muller/T.M. Harton Carousel at Conneaut Lake Park outside stander.
The NCA Conclusion:
Your goat is new carving made in the last 20 – 25 years. Many of these carvings originated from Asia and Spain. These carvings were imported for the domestic decorative market. The longitudinal body cracking, the heavy white primer seen at the joints, and the absence of a hole for the carousel pole are typical of these imports. We can not at this time determine if the rockers were added or where originally intended for this carving.
The photo you sent of the goat carving shown on the Conneaut Lake Park carousel is a new carving done by Carousel Works, Mansfield, Ohio in the late 1980’s. The original Muller goat carving was taken off the carousel and sold along with most of the original figures from this carousel at that time.
