Besides growing up with Western TV shows and movies, it may have been my first carousel rides at Misquamicut and Watch Hill that developed my love for horses.
After some years in the antique furniture business, I took note that there was an immigration of cabinet makers that came to the area in the mid to late 1800s. Among them was Gustav Dentzel, who after carving carousels for his father in Germany decided to open a cabinet-making shop here. When his interest came back around to carousels he decided to build small portable ones so he could bring his enthusiasm for them around the country. His carved horses and animals are sought after today for the artistic ability that brought them to life with accurate proportions and expressions that similarly distinguish talented cabinet makers as well as carvers.
