The Bauern Haus and Carousel (Rockaway Beach)
c. 1880
Artist unknown
Oil on canvas, 28 1/8 X 31
Gift of Mrs. Bertha Schildt Hornbostel, 52.32

 

The carousel depicted in this engaging work was brought from Germany to Rockaway Beach before 1880 by its owner, Frederick Schildt, who also built and ran the Bauern Haus (Farm House) Hotel seen behind the carousel. Schildt's portrait adorns the carousel, the top of which displays colorful drawings of what appear to be storks, fantastical figures, and various other animals. A sequence of human labor, horse power, steam power, and finally electricity propelled the carousel before its destruction in a large fire that devastated Rockaway Beach in September 1892.

In addition to bringing the first such amusement to Rockaway Beach, Schildt invented boats for use on a merry-go-round. In the Rockaway Journal for 1884, he advertised his hotel as "The German Castle and Carnival, First-class rooms for boarders," boasting a restaurant "on the European Plan," a dancing hall, and a well-supplied bar.¹

The Bavarian-style architecture of the hotel, with its nesting stork and indications of a thatched roof, is verified by a print recording the complex in the collections of the Queens Historical Society. In that engraving, the buildings bear signs in German; undoubtedly Schildt was trying to attract the patronage of New York City's sizable German-speaking community, who often organized Sunday outings to such entertainment spots. The open structures to the right and left of the carousel can be identified from the related print as pergolas for sheltering visitors.

Rockaway is a long narrow peninsular beach that runs along the southern mainland of Queens.² Like Coney Island, its inaccessibility in pre-railway times assured its exclusivity as a resort. Railroads from New York City to Rockaway were constructed in 1868, 1872, and 1878. These lines and an accompanying building boom made the area more accessible, drove society leaders further east to the Hamptons, and by 1900 had turned Rockaway into a lower-middle-class summer refuge.³ Now a year-round residential community of both private houses and apartments, Rockaway still draws summer crowds to its amusement park, boardwalk, and five miles of beaches.

According to Frederick Schildt's daughter, who donated this work to the Museum, the artist of this painting and of Schildt's portrait was a hotel guest.⁴ The seaside holiday atmosphere is expressed by the animated carousel riders and those observing the fun, and by the lively drawings decorating the top of the carousel. The briskly fluttering German and American flags and the use of bright colors enhance the festive feeling. Whereas both the decorative drawings and Schildt's portrait demonstrate some artistic capability, mastery of perspective seems to have eluded the artist.

Notes:

  1  Correspondence dated May 28, 1953, from the Queens Historical Society, in Museum Archives.

  2  Rockaway encompasses the communities of Far Rockaway, Edgemere, Arverne, Hammels, Hollands, Seaside, Rockaway Park, Belle Harbor, and Neponsit.

  3  The WPA Guide to New York City (1939; reprint, New York: Pantheon, 1982), p. 591.

  4  Letter from Mrs. Bertha Schildt Hornbostel to Grace Mayer, Curator of Prints and Photographs at the Museum of the City of New York, November 20, 1952, in Museum Archives.