Organ Grinder with a Little Monkey, Horatio Ross (attributed to), 1855 - 1886

albumen print, h 202mm × w 154mm More details

Organ grinders with monkeys were a familiar sight on the street in the 19th century. Often from Italy, poorly dressed, and barely able to make a living, they constituted an ‘interesting’ motif, just like beggars, drifters and street urchins. The wretched existence of such picturesque ‘types’ was a popular subject among both photographers and artists.