This characterful drypoint etching by ‘Uncle’ Jack Rome depicts an organ grinder and a monkey. 

Organ grinders were street performers that operated a barrel organ - usually by turning a crank. They were a frequent sight during the 19th and early 20th century and often itinerants or vagabonds.

Victorian literature often portrays them cynically as lower-class gentlemen of ill repute but later depictions tend to describe them in a charming, almost romantic, way.

The artist, Jack Rome, hailed from Carlisle and worked in the studios of Hudson Scott and Sons.

The etching is signed/dated and framed well.

Medium: Etching on paper
Overall size: 14½” x 17” / 37cm x 43cm
Year of creation: c. 1926
Condition: Overall very presentable.