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Organ Grinder and Wife “Street Type”

Alice Austen House

Alice Austen House
Staten Island, NY, United States

An organ grinder is a person who plays a street organ and asks their audience for money to hear the music. These street organs were designed to be portable. In New York City, these instruments were banned in 1935 by mayor Fiorello La Guardia citing traffic congestion due to the begging nature of this profession. This ban led to the destruction of hundreds of organs. In this image, taken around 1894, Alice Austen captures an organ grinder and his wife entertaining on the busy intersection of 48th and Broadway.

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  • Title: Organ Grinder and Wife “Street Type”
Alice Austen House

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