The post in the MMD dated 121200 gives a link to an eBay auction with a
monkey organ. The name on the front, A. Wagner y Levien Mexico Puebla
Guadalajara, refers to a music company, not a manufacturer.
A. Wagner and Levein are still in business in Mexico City. I do not
know anything about the Puebla or Guadalajara "surcusales" or branches.
They advertised thus: "La casa de musica mas grande en la Republica
Mexicana". I don't think I need to translate that.
You will find their names on anything musical, from band instruments
to player rolls. Even the Welte orchestrions that they imported had
a beautifully lettered sign in gold leaf on the front. Most of the
barrel organs were made in Germany and imported to Mexico during the
reign of Porfirio Diaz, around the turn of the last century. Mexico,
at that time, looked to Europe and not the United States for its
"culture".
The last time I was in Mexico City, they were still in their original
location, doing business under the name "Casa Wagner". That was two
years ago, so the present status of the company is unknown to me.
They sold a line of player piano rolls with their labels on the boxes.
Many times the roll inside has a QRS label on it.
For a picture of an organ similar to the one on eBay, point your
browser to:
http://www.txdirect.net/~egaida/misc1.html
On that page you will see two organs, similar in appearance. One lacks
any identification on the front, but the other was taken outside Mexico
City's "Grand Hotel" of a modern day organ grinder. The dour
expression on the man's face disappeared when I pulled out my wallet!
Be sure to follow the link to the inside of the hotel whose lobby rises
three stories and is topped by a "techo" or roof made by Louis Comfort
Tiffany. It is truly breathtaking and one of the city's best kept
secrets. Those of us who lived in Mexico City in the 1950's and 60's
remember the building as "Central Mercantil" -- one of the many
department stores founded by the French at the turn of the last
century.
Ed Gaida
egaida@txdirect.net
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