"flying horses" depicted in 1721

[Joel S. Berson]

As Judith Anderson Stuart wrote [on another list], a 1721 print
containing a carousel with what could be called "flying horses" (they
are up in the air!) appears in the Wikipedia article "William Hogarth
- The South Sea Scheme".  I wonder how true it is to (amusement?)
devices of the time.  For example, I can't imagine it being
comfortable for country fair patrons to mount. And it reminds me more
of a device of torture (I assume that was intentional to
Hogarth?).  There was, of course, "riding the horse", "riding the rail".

Several points interest me, assuming this carousel is to some degree
true to life:
1)  If I am seeing the Wikipedia image correctly, this "Wheel Ride"
was turned by manpower via a bar extending through the axle on both sides
2)   There are definitely horses being ridden ... although I'm not
sure all the mounts are horses.
3)   The horses are not on chains, so they do not "fly" out as the wheel turns.

Joel

At 8/12/2011 09:45 AM, John Dussinger wrote:
>Postscript to my last:
>
>It just dawned on me (sorry Dawn!) that we can see these "flying
>horses" in Hogarth's "South Sea" print of 1721. The caption on top
>of the ride's post, "Who'l Ride," is similar to Lovelace's mimicry
>of the hawkers at the fair: "Who rides next! Who rides next!"
>Richardson may have had his friend's print in mind while
>categorizing libertines as gamblers destructive of the state. I wish
>that I could reproduce this print here. I have it hanging in my study.

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