1880s. Young Immigrant Organ Grinder

[dewey839]

A young immigrant street beggar in ethnic clothing with a crank organ or hurdy gurdy.  Probably can't afford a monkey, so he has a white rat.  Note his unusual footwear.

Comments

[13oct]

Those shoes look handmade.

[fish_fly0113]

The shoes like onle cloths.

[samtaro82]

As a hurdy gurdy player, I feel the need to clarify here: A crank organ/barrel organ is not the same thing as a hurdy gurdy. A barrel organ is sort of like a player piano; the player just needs to turn the crank, and the organ plays a pre-programmed tune. A hurdy gurdy is more like a mechanical violin, and a person generally needs some skill in order to play it (and we generally don't have monkeys or rats with us). :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy_gurdy

In case anyone's interested, here's what a hurdy gurdy can sound like when played by a master:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBI6eW5Eyt4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRavw42AWp0