When most people think of the Jantzen Beach Carousel, they picture its four rows of elaborately carved horses. But did you know the carousel has another distinctive and rather romantic identifying feature?

The canopy of the Jantzen Beach Carousel features dozens of cherubs, including 18 cherub shields adorned with winged faces and carved flowers and foliage.

Caption: Jantzen Beach Carousel canopy cherubs, large and small. Photo by Stephanie Brown.

Notable Valentine’s Day Events throughout History

  • 1859 - Oregon is admitted to the union, becoming the 33rd state in the U.S.
  • 1876 - Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone.
  • 1962 - Jacqueline Kennedy presents the first televised tour of the White House. 
  • 1977 - Restore Oregon is founded as the Historic Preservation League of Oregon.
  • 2023 - A newly restored Jantzen Beach Carousel Cherub is unveiled!

Since the mid-1990s, the color scheme of the carousel has been white, with green, red, yellow and metallic gold accents. But way back in 1921, when the carousel was new, its color approach was quite different, particularly in the way color was applied to the cherub shields.

In this historic photo from Venice, California, the shield’s upper leaves appear to be painted either white or ivory. Yet, in other photos taken around the same time, it seems as though there may have been some metallic edge detailing around the perimeter of the ivory leaves. Because the original paint layer has been lost to time, it is hard to know for sure either way. The carousel rounding boards (which have their own cherub carvings) appear to also have been painted ivory, or perhaps a very pale pastel hue, with colored light bulbs in charge of providing a pop of canopy color. 



Caption:  Jantzen Beach Carousel canopy in Venice, California, circa 1922. Photo Credit: C.W. Parker Archives, Barbara Fahs Charles Collection

Decades of vibration while the carousel was still in operation caused carvings on the cherub shields to begin to separate from their backing boards, necessitating repair.  The cherub shield pictured below was selected as a test subject for repair and repainting methods as part of our ongoing Preservation Roadmap planning process. Testing of select carousel pieces helps us prepare for full restoration in the future.

Caption:  A cherub shield with its century-old carvings newly repaired, secured, sanded, and primed in preparation for fresh paint.  Photo by Stephanie Brown

Our approach to painting the carousel has been to consult historic photos to try to understand and recapture the look of the 1920s, while also attempting to preserve some of the features people love from the 1990s. In the case of our cherub shields, this hybrid approach has meant utilizing paint colors that were popular in the early 1920s and recreating much of the carousel’s original appearance, while also preserving concepts specific to the 1990s, like green foliage and colorful floral elements. 

With that in mind please enjoy this Valentine’s Day gift from Restore Oregon, shared with love: our newly restored cherub shield!  



Caption: Newly restored cherub shield. Photo by Stephanie Brown

Special thanks to our painter Cora Finney, #millerpaint and #versatilewoodproducts for their assistance with this project.