In 1972
Charlotte H. Dinger, paid a chance visit to a Philadelphia antiques shop and walked out with the foundation of an unlikely collection ,
and an even less likely career. She came to be known as one
of the world leading collectors, and foremost authorities on antique
carousels and carousel art.
To hear her tell
her story in later years, Mrs. Dinger had two transforming
experiences in her life. The first occurred during a childhood
visit to the old Olympic Park in Maplewood, NJ. She became
so enchanted with the flamboyantly beautiful wooden horses,
whirling around on the amusement park’s carousel. She promptly
announced to her parents that she wanted one of her own!
Charlotte Dinger did come to realize her dream , and so much
more. The carousel pictured here on the Home Page , is the machine
she did rebuild , own , and operate. The second experience came
during a 1972 visit to the antiques store, where she
encountered an old and faded carousel horse. For all its
neglect and disrepair it evoked a strong and powerful nostalgic
recollection of her bright childhood fascination, so she paid $75 on
the spot.
After bringing the
many pieces of the small wooden horse home, she began stripping
away the successive layers of thick paint . The obscured delicate
carved features soon began to show. Her childhood fascination was
well on the way to becoming a full-blown adult obsession.
Inspired by her
initial purchase, Mrs. Dinger soon tracked down what she
realized was a treasure trove of two dozen carousel horses.
They were stacked like so much firewood in a Philadelphia
warehouse. Their next destination was the Dinger's garage. By this
time Charlotte Dinger was in full swing. Figures that had been
stripped from thousands of carousels from the turn of the century
were now recognized as valuable examples of neglected art.
Charlotte Dinger was in the midst of rescuing many of these
wonderful steeds.
Over the next two
decades Mrs. Dinger tracked down, bought and restored scores of
horses, and other carousel figures. She became familiar with the
history of the American carousel, from its beginnings in 1867 with the
work of a German immigrant, Gustav Dentzel, until its decline after the
introduction of the automobile, and its abrupt demise during the
Depression of the 1930s.
She helped found
the American Carousel Society to spread the word among other
collectors and carousel lovers. Later she became a
consultant to Sotheby’s, and also started her own publishing
company to produce the definitive coffee table book, " ART
OF THE CAROUSEL " . When her collection threatened to outstrip the
capacity of her home, she put together a traveling exhibition that
was on display at museums across the country.
Other collectors,
recognized that antique carousel figures were not merely
curiosities, but examples of an important American folk art. The
prices of choice specimens soared to astronomical levels, as much as
$175,000 for a single carving. Since her death in 1996, The Charlotte
Dinger Collection still endures, and can be seen in various traveling
shows across the nation.
Anyone who hasn’t
seen some of this collection in person, may have caught a glimpse of a
few of her prize pieces in the family mail. The United States
Postal Service has twice used Mrs. Dinger's collection as the
basis for an issue of commemorative stamps depicting carousel
animals . Despite her interest in collecting individual carousel
figures, Mrs. Dinger campaigned to keep the dwindling supply of
working carousels intact. ( According to the American Carousel
Society, which estimates there were once 3,000 to 6,000 carousels in
the country, from the famous Flying Horses on Martha’s Vineyard, where
children still ride on the oldest American carousel, assembled in 1884,
to the last carousels produced in the 1920’s. ) There are
now only 133 left. With all her instincts as a collector, and her
appreciation of carousels and carousel art, she has preserved a legacy
for the future. Charlotte Dinger did realize her childhood dream
- The Fairy Tale Experience Of Whirling Around On A Beautiful
Carousel.
