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Coney Island Sideshow at Luna Park

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Coney Island Sideshow at Luna Park

Martin Couney was the proprietor of “incubator baby exhibits” at many of the large Expositions and World’s Fairs, getting his start as a showman at the Victorian Era Exhibition in London in 1897, and continuing in the US at the turn of the 20th century, starting with the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha in 1898, and continuing through the New York World’s Fair of 1939. He also operated more permanent incubator sideshows at several amusement parks; the best known and documented are Dreamland and Luna Park at Coney Island, New York.

“Life begins at the BABY INCUBATORS. Here trained nurses care for premature and weakly born infants. For forty years the Baby Incubators have attracted the attention of men, women, and children. An educational journey through a spotless, strictly hygienic, miniature hospital. It is housed on the Boardwalk adjacent to the entrance of Steeplechase Park.” — Coney Island Tourist Booklet, undated, but appears to be late 1930s or early 1940s, by Jo Ranson.

The incubator sideshow in Luna Park operated from 1903 to 1945, it was closed shortly after the New York World’s Fair. Dreamland operated from 1904 and burned down in 1911. Consequently, most of the pictures and documentation still available for incubators at Coney Island are focused on Luna Park. According to news reports at that time, at least 8000 babies passed through the Coney Island incubators, and at least 6500 survived.

The startup of the Luna Park Incubator Exhibit, however, was not without a few bumps along the way.

CONEY’S BABY INCUBATOR EXHIBIT APPROVED
Luna Park’s “baby Incubator exhiblt,” which has been the subject of an official investigation by experts appointed by Mayor Low, was approved to-day by the committee in a report submitted to the Mayor. The committee, which consisted of Dr. William Brenman of the State Medical Board; Dr. Leonard Shearer, Superintendent Foulke of the State CharItles epartment, and Dr. Lederle, Health Commissioner, recommended that It be continued at the island until the winter, and then divided and half sent to Bellevue and the rest to the Kings Center Hospital in Brooklyn for the winter.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children had caused the arrest of Elmer S. Dundee, one of the proprietors of the incubator exhibit, for running a “baby incubator.” The case was brought to the Coney Island Court and Dr. Martin A. Cooney [sic], the inventor of the incubator, was called upon to testify. He stated that in Buffalo the same incubator had saved fifty out of fifty-two babies intrusted [sic] to it, and so far at Coney Island had lost only one in the nineteen cared for. To decide the question the committee of experts was appointed.

— The Daily Standard Union, Brooklyn, Monday, August 17, 1903

The Incubator Sideshow entrance is seen behind the Luna Ride.
Source: Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University.
https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/longview/2018/10/under-the-lens-coney-islands-baby-incubators/ 

Wet nurses were recruited to provide breast milk for the premature babies in the incubators on exhibit.

The Pittsburgh Press, June 30, 1905

One of the graduates of the Luna Park Incubators, Beth Allen, has been kind enough to let us use a number of her photographs. An interview with Beth Allen is available on the Coney Island History web site, along with an interview with her cousin Terry Silverman. She also contributed interviews and photos to Dawn Raffel’s book, “The Strange Case of Dr. Couney: How a Mysterious European Showman Saved Thousands of American Babies.”

“Beth Allen was born 2 months premature in 1941. Desperate to save her, and with few other options — hospitals of the day had no facilities for premature infants — Beth’s parents placed her in the care of Dr. Martin Couney… who for decades operated his neonatal care facility as a 10 cent sideshow at Coney Island.” — — Coney Island History Project web site.

Photograph is courtesy of Beth Allen, used with permission, and may not be used elsewhere without permission of the owner – bethallen@optonline.net

Above: The Luna Park incubator sideshow entrance at night, ca. 1941.

Photograph is courtesy of Beth Allen, used with permission, and may not be used elsewhere without permission of the owner – bethallen@optonline.net

Above: A picture of Beth Allen and Martin Couney taken in 1941 at Luna Park.

Photograph is courtesy of Beth Allen, used with permission, and may not be used elsewhere without permission of the owner – bethallen@optonline.net

Above: Visiting Beth Allen.

Photograph is courtesy of Beth Allen, used with permission, and may not be used elsewhere without permission of the owner – bethallen@optonline.net

Above: Beth Allen’s incubator.

Photograph is courtesy of Beth Allen, used with permission, and may not be used elsewhere without permission of the owner – bethallen@optonline.net

Above: Beth Allen close-up in the incubator.

Photograph is courtesy of Beth Allen, used with permission, and may not be used elsewhere without permission of the owner – bethallen@optonline.net

Above: Beth Allen being held by one of the nurses in the Coney Island Incubator exhibit on the Midway.

Photograph is courtesy of Beth Allen, used with permission, and may not be used elsewhere without permission of the owner – bethallen@optonline.net

Above: Beth Allen and Lecturer O’Neill.

Photograph is courtesy of Beth Allen, used with permission, and may not be used elsewhere without permission of the owner – bethallen@optonline.net

Above: Beth Allen in her bassinet, after graduation from the incubator.

Above: Three nurses from the Coney Island exhibit, holding six premature infants having an average weight of 2 pounds.

Above: When the census was high, premies shared an incubator.

Above: Hildegard Couney holding the baby Carol Boyce Heinisch at Luna Park. Source: BBC.

Source: New York Daily Tribune, July 10, 1903, page 7.

A 1917 fire at Luna Park endangered the babies:

New York Times, August 20, 1917.

Martin Couney and his partners Fischel and Schenkein were also a dealer for the Kny-Scheerer Co. incubators, manufactured under license from Alexandre Lion, that he used in his exhibits. “The Incubator Company” was one of his DBAs.

Martin Arthur Couney

Primary Source Documents

Business and Associates

Martin Couney Exhibits in World’s Fairs and National Expositions

Martin Couney Sideshows in Amusement Parks

Recent Books

General Articles

General articles about Martin Couney and his exhibits are linked below. Additional links may be found in specific posts about his participation in expositions or sideshows.

Reader beware: many of these were written before the full facts about Martin Couney’s background became known, or have not incorporated that new information, so they include information from his self-invented background legend.

Last Updated on 05/14/26