Barrel Organ
Unknown Artist
ca. 1800
Medium
Wood, various materials
Dimensions
Barrel organ: 87cm x 52cm x 65cm Barrels: 88.5cm x 34.5cm x 20cm
Classification
Aerophone-Automatic
Culture
American
Department
Musical Instruments
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Eric M. Wunsch, 1972
Accession Number
1972.166
Art Historical Context
Step into the lively world of early 19th-century American music with this captivating barrel organ, crafted around 1800 by an unknown. Standing at 87 cm tall, 52 cm wide, and 65 cm deep accompanying barrels measuring 88.5 cm x 34.5 cm x 20 cm—this wooden instrument, adorned with various materials, exemplifies the mechanical ingenuity of its time. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Musical Instruments as a gift from Eric M. Wunsch in 1972, it reflects American craftsmanship during a period of growing fascination with automation. Classified as an aerophone-automatic, the b...