Rose, the Organ Grinder

Onorio Ruotolo

1914 · Bronze · The American Wing

Among familiar musical street entertainers at the turn of the twentieth century were organ grinders. Like Ruotolo himself, many were recently arrived Italian immigrants. Here, "Rose" holds a barrel organ strapped across her shoulder and cranks a handle that moves air through the instrument’s pipes to produce sound. While the artist portrayed the organ grinder with sympathy, he also may have been commenting on the panhandling of urban performers that was widely viewed as a social nuisance.

Artist

Onorio Ruotolo

Date

1914

Medium

Bronze

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Bruce and Susan Lueck, 2021