My Mum & The Organ Grinder, Ridley Road Market, Hackney

So Iv been working on photo restoration and I’m pleased with the outcome 😊
The photo of the young girl shows my mum aged three years old down Ridley Road market Hackney with my Nanny Rose 🌹 just behind mum.
I have also included various photos of Organ Grinders and barrel organs within this post.

However there is more to this photo then meets the eye, who has heard the saying ‘speak to the Organ Grinder not the monkey?’ I certainly have which means wanting to talk to the boss and not his side kick.

The monkey my mum is holding in this photo belonged to the Organ Grinder in Ridley Road market.
A barrel organ (also called crank or roller organ) is a mechanical musical instrument consisting of bellows and one or more ranks of pipes housed in a case which is often highly decorated and usually made of wood. The basic principle is the same as a traditional pipe organ, but rather than being played by an organist, the barrel organ is activated either by a person known as an organ grinder turning a crank, or is clockwork driven by weights or springs. The pieces of music are encoded onto wooden barrels (or cylinders), which are analogous to the keyboard of the traditional pipe organ. Many were built by Italian organ builders who had settled in France and Germany.

This street musician and performer used to turn the handle of his barrel organ whilst the monkey was perched upon his shoulder. Street barrel organs usually play 7 to 9 tunes, although small organs usually the older ones can play up to 15 tunes.
There were many larger versions located in churches, theatres, music halls, fairgrounds and other large establishments such as sports arenas.

Going back to the Organ Grinder down Ridley Road market, he used to have a bag of peanuts which he would encourage the passing children to give to the monkey. This also was a great opportunity for a child to have a photo with the monkey whilst lining the organ grinders pocket with some extra cash. The monkey was dressed up in a clown like outfit and was used as part of the entertainment act.

However the authorities often encouraged policemen to treat the grinders as beggars or public nuisances . The organ grinder was seen as a musical novelty during the late 18th through to the 20th century. However Organ grinders soon faded out and eventually disappeared due to changes and international and national copyright laws within the music industry also laws into cruelty to animals.