Early 1900’s Musicians prop money collection monkey
Wearing an adorable velvet bell boy style suit & hat. By repute the top hat once used to collect change for a travelling musician Sat on a toleware tin and is mounted to a wooden base, the intricate outfit is made from black & red velvet. Together with some old written paperwork and two black & white photographs of wandering musician Benedetto Papa.
‘The Wandering Musician
After more than half a century as a wandering musician in the South & West, Benedetto Papa pictured here said goodbye to Britain for the last. Now aged 73, Benedetto feels the time has come to retire & go back to Italy, the land of his birth, to live with his relations near Monte Cassino. For the last 10 years or so ‘Benny’ has lived at Mr. Angelo Zollo’s lodging-house in West Street, Poole and has been a familiar figure playing his accordion in the streets. He first came to this country with his parents when he was two, seven years later his mum bought him his first accordion - and as soon as he was old enough he set off for a life as a wandering musician. His travels have taken him the length and breadth of Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset as well as into Devon & Cornwall. ‘But now’ he said, ‘I’ve had enough’, over here I have nothing to look forward to & no pension but my family in Italy are quite well off & will look after me. Benny last went back to Italy five years ago for a holiday, now he plans to settle down at the restaurant & guesthouse which is run by his sister’s cousin. ‘I shall finish with all my music’ he said ‘this time I shall stay for good’. Over a quarter of a century ago Benny used to travel with a barrel-organ & monkey. When be began life as a musician he recalled, fortune tellers & bear tamers were still to be found travelling the countryside. But now like Benedetto, the smiling musician the countryside knows them no more’
Size in inches: H 18” x W 23” x D 13”
Origin: English
Date: 1900 -1920
Condition: Age
...d
A naturally aged items with wear and tear, in the form of worn and torn surface area as we have tried to show in the photos provided, a surface natural split to the skin on the face. A very rare survivor in overall good condition for its age and obvious use.
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Internal Reference: sammy
Antique Number: SA1117785
Dateline of this antique is 1900
Height is 45.7cm (18.0inches)Width is 58.4cm (23.0inches)Depth is 33cm (13.0inches)
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