A Trip to the Moon in Coney Island in 1904
A Trip to the Moon in Coney Island!
Many people are familiar with the Georges Méliès movie “A Trip to the Moon”, especially with that iconic image of a bullet-shaped rocket ship lodged in the eye of the man in the moon. What is lesser known is the Trip to the Moon “dark ride” that was designed by Fred Thompson, who later went on to greater fame as the creator and designer of Luna Park in Coney Island in 1903. The original ride was created to be a part of the Pan-American Exposition of 1901 in Buffalo, New York. It was a great success at the Centennial, and after it ended, Fred Thompson made it part of his newest creation in Coney Island.
Iconic image from A Trip to the Moon by Georges Méliès
The airship Luna resembled a wooden ship with wings, which would flap up and down allowing it to “fly”. It was designed to be moved by unseen hands as a real ship might, tipping and bobbing as it soared into space- destination: Moon! The passengers would be thrilled as they viewed Coney Island below them as the ship rose into the sky. The illusion of movement was achieved with the use of painted backgrounds that would drop slowly alongside the ship, making the audience feel like they were really flying!
Artists illustration from 1904
Illustration by Jeffrey Lindberg from “Coney - A Trip to Luna Park”
When the Luna airship landed on the Moon, they were greeted by costumed “little people”, not unlike the Munchkins of the Wizard of Oz. These people were called Selenites, and depicted “moon people”. After many festivities and performances, the moon travelers would be led to the gift shop!
“Leaving the Moon” Illustration from “Coney - A Trip to Luna Park” by Jeffrey Lindberg
Flying was on everyone’s mind at the turn of the century, so this was the perfect ride to have as a centerpiece of the new Luna Park. In my picture book “Coney - a Trip to Luna Park”, I have illustrated the trip to the moon as I think it might have appeared in 1904. When I was doing research for Coney, I found many wonderful images on the Library of Congress website. I found photographs that were so clear and detailed, it was if they had been taken only a few years ago! Finding these pictures was crucial to the look of my illustrations because it was if I could walk right into those pictures of Coney in 1904.
Image of the “Trip to the Moon” in Luna Park ca. 1904. Library of Congress
My visual depiction of the Trip to the Moon was somewhat tricky because there weren’t that many images that I could find of the actual ride. You can see in the images below that the actual airship itself exists only in an artists rendering of what the actual ship looked like. I based my illustrations of the airship on these renderings. There are photos of the building and the entrance to the ride, but as far as I know, no images exist of the inside of the ride, so that part I had to make up. I am an artist, aren’t I? So I used my imagination to depict what I think it might have looked like. It will up to you, the viewers and readers, to let me know if you like how I have imagined it.
Printed brochure from the “Trip to the Moon” ride ca. 1904
Thank you for your interest in Coney island and my depictions in my children’s picture book. I welcome all emails and questions, and look forward to opportunities to educate children and adults about a world that existed in the past that I believe shouldn’t be forgotten. “Coney - a Trip to Luna Park” is available on my website, coneybook.com and on Amazon, in both hardcover and paperback versions.
