Accession No
6604
Brief Description
Souvenir items related to amusement park rides “A Trip to the Moon” and “A Trip to Mars by Aeroplane”, U.S.A., early 20th century
Origin
New York, U.S.A.
Maker
Luna Park
Class
ephemera; astronomy
Earliest Date
1901
Latest Date
1941
Inscription Date
Material
paper (paper, cardboard); cotton; ceramic (porcelain); glass; metal (aluminium)
Dimensions
6604.1: 125mm [height] x 55mm [width] x 130mm [depth] 6604.2: 80mm diameter 6604.3: 78mm diameter 6604.4: 90mm [height] x 30mm [width] x 4mm[depth] 6604.5: 115mm [height] x 140mm [width] x 3mm [depth] 6604.6: 88mm [height] x 142mm [width] 6604.7: 83mm [height] x 136mm [width] 6604.8: 139mm [height] x 83mm[width] 6604.9: When folded: 160mm [height] x 121mm [width] 6604.10: Both are 141mm [height] x 950mm [width]
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Bonhams 580 Madison Ave., New York, NY, USA. Auction 20830: Illuminating Space: Images from a Private Virginian Collection, 05/12/2012, Bonham’s New York.
Inscription
See description notes for individual inscriptions, where applicable.
Description Notes
Souvenir items related to amusement park rides “A Trip to the Moon” and “A Trip to Mars by Aeroplane”, U.S.A., early 20th century.
The ‘A Trip to the Moon’ ride was an early example of a dark ride, and was the flagship ride of Coney Island’s Luna Park. It was first designed by Frederic Thompson for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo before being installed on Coney Island in 1904.
6604.1: Ceramic boot depicting amusement park ride “A Trip to the Moon”. Navy blue with gold trim at top and accentuating the raised bows. The instep is decorated with a painting of Coney Island and the Trip to the Moon building. Boot is lady’s style of that era. Made in Germany, dated by Bonhams to be c.1905.
Condition: good, complete.
6604.2: Dark green/blue circular card (badge?) with blue string for hanging. Reads
‘LUNA PARK AERO CLUB
-A-
TRIP TO MARS
BY
AEROPLANE’ on one side.
Second side reads:
Hear Phil. Lemlein’s Band
Play the biggest song Hit of the Season
SILVER BELL
CHORUS
Your voice is ringing, my Silver Bell,
Under it’s spell, I’ve come to tell you,
Of the love I am bringing, o’er hill and dell,
Happy we’ll dwell my Silver Bell.
Copyright and Published by
Jerome H. Remick & Co.
131 West 41st Street New York’
Some wearing around the edges, and the blue string is slightly frayed at the ends. Otherwise good condition, complete.
6604.3: Red circular card (pass for ride?) with yellow string for hanging. Reads
‘KEEP THIS IN SIGHT
PASS BEARER
TO CITY OF MOON
AND PALACE OF THE MAN IN THE MOON
WHEN ON
A TRIP TO THE MOON’
on both sides.
Some wearing on one side, particularly at the top; other side in near-perfect condition, a very small amount of wearing. Complete.
6604.4: Aluminium pin badge, still mounted on paper. Pin badge depicts The spaceship Luna and a crescent moon, which is engraved with the title of the ride. Made by Heintz brothers of Buffalo. Paper backing reads:
‘SOUVENIR
A Trip to the Moon on the Airship Luna.
This Pin is Alumi-
num, the metal used
to construct the Air-
ship Luna.’
Paper is worn and the area around where the pin has been places is worn and tearing. The paper is discoloured and darkened around the edges; poor condition. The pin is a little scratched, but in otherwise good condition. Complete.
6604.5: Glass negative of Coney Island’s Luna Park, ‘midway view from canal’ according to paper wrapping. Shows ride from the vantage point of a canal from Venice in America, as well as ride ‘Darkest Africa’ and ‘A Trip to the Moon’. Photographed by Charles, D. Arnold, official photographer of the Pan-American Exposition.
Good condition, complete.
6604.6: Cyanotype postcard with photograph of ‘A Trip to the Moon’ ride. Captioned ‘CONEY ISLAND A Trip to the Moon - LUNA PARK.’ Published by S. Dattilo & Co., N.Y.., postage costs listed as 1 cent domestic and 2 cents for foreign delivery. Three lines for address. Rear of postcard is discoloured and dirty in areas. In pencil, ‘300’ can be read on the top right. Bonhams dates this as c.1907.
Good condition, complete.
6604.7: 1904 chromolithographed private mailing card depicting an illustration of men and women riding the airship Luna as it leaves Earth, signed ‘E.J.M.’. A foglight illuminates New York, and the Statue of Liberty is slightly visible. Caption reads:
‘COPYRIGHT 1904 BY LUNA PARK CO.
A trip to the moon, in the world famous air ship “Luna”,- LUNA PARK, NEW YORK.’
The reverse reads ’Private Mailing Card
Authorzed by an act of Congress of May 19, 1898,
THIS SIDE IS EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE ADDRESS.
Postal Card. - Carte Postale.’
Private mailing cards were only authorised in May 1898 and until 24 December 1901 private companies were not permitted to name these ‘postcards’. Correspondents were only permitted to write messages on the front of the card until March 1, 1907, when the rear of the card was divided for messages and address. Note the space to the right of the illustration on this card for this capacity.
Slight yellowing on the rear of the card, and dog-earing on bottom right corner (from rear). Otherwise good condition, complete.
6604.8: Chromolithographed postcard with photograph(?) or print of the entrance to the left promenade of the the Luna Park. Captioned ‘7828. ENTRANCE TO LEFT PROMENADE, LUNA PARK, CONEY ISLAND’. Similarly to 6604.7, there is a space on the front for messages, on which has been written ‘Luna Park looks like “Streets of Cairo” - very gay and lots of elephants, camels, Turks and side shows. H(?). L. C.’. Rear side has no address or stamp and is left blank by writer. Made by Detroit Photographic Co, copyrighted 1903. Bonhams dates this as 1907, unclear how.
Rear of card is yellowing, with some light marking. Ink is beginning to fade a little. Otherwise good condition, complete.
6604.9: Folded poster advertising ‘A Trip to the Moon .. On Frederic Thompson’s.. Airship “Luna”’ as the ‘grand novel feature and greatest success’ of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo’, citing its cost as over $200,000 to produce and using over 200 cast members - including ‘giants, dwarfs, pigmies, sailors, electricians, etc’ to create the experience. Leaflet quotes Thomas Edison, Senator Chauncey M. Depew and Secretary of state John Hay, amongst others, expressing their joy over the ride. This side is accompanied by two illustrations, one of the airship Luna leaving Earth and one of the ‘Jewel-Bestudded Grottos’ on the interior of the Moon.
The other side describes the ride experience (similar to 6604.10) and delineates some of the processes used to achieve the ‘most elaborate illusion that ever puzzled the mind’. These include ‘stage mechanism, scenic art and electrical science’. There are two illustrations, one of the ‘”Hall of Festivities” in the Palace of the Man-in-the-Moon’ and one of the Palace itself.
Paper is in good but fragile condition; is yellowing, worn along the folds and with some tears along the edges of the poster. Complete.
6604.10: Two identical advertisements for the The Great Landing Dock at the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, 1901, and the ride A Trip to the Moon, in its first incarnation. Both advertisements are folded in the middle, and boast the 40,000 ft covered by the Exposition; the 30 airships flying daily on A Trip to the Moon, and that the ride is the ‘one grand novel feature’ of the exposition. Illustrated by drawings of the ride and of the airship. On the reverse side, the advertisement describes what the rider will experience, including the ‘cool, fine, light atmosphere’ created by the ships wings as well as a description of the guides who will greet ‘each excursion party on the Landing Dock’, showing them the ‘wonderful underground city of the moon, with its palaces and shops, and hordes of queer people’ before finally being greeted by ‘His Majesty’ at the ‘Palace of the “Man in the Moon”. This description is accompanied by a drawing of the airship leaving Earth.
Both advertisements are in good condition, slightly yellowing and abrading at the edges, and likely more fragile along the fold down the middle. Complete.
Overall condition: good, complete.
References
Events
Description
These souvenir items relate to the ‘A Trip to the Moon’ ride that ran on Coney Island’s Luna Park from 1903 to 1910. The mechanised, enclosed experience was designed by Frederic Thompson and was the first of its kind. Riders flew to the Moon on the airship “Luna”, were greeted by guides and shown an papier-mache underground city, as well as the “Palace of the “Man in the Moon”’ before watching a spectacle of jesters and dancers playing ‘selenites’. The ride was housed in a 80ft tall structure that covered 40,000 square feet, involved over 200 castmembers, cost 20 cents to ride and over $84,000 to construct. It opened at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901 before being moved to the Luna Park on Coney Island in 1903, and finally transformed into the “A Trip to Mars by Aeroplane” ride in 1912.
13/01/2016
Created by: Rosanna Evans on 13/01/2016
FM:47122
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