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[3 boys of an orphanage in West Virginia playing folk tunes on harmonicas as their contribution to the National Folk Festival, Philadelphia] – Historic Print

[3 boys of an orphanage in West Virginia playing folk tunes on harmonicas as their contribution to the National Folk Festival, Philadelphia], 1944 May. — historic photograph
[3 boys of an orphanage in West Virginia playing folk tunes on harmonicas as their contribution to the National Folk Festival, Philadelphia], 1944 May.. Historic photograph from the Philadelphia collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

[3 boys of an orphanage in West Virginia playing folk tunes on harmonicas as their contribution to the National Folk Festival, Philadelphia] comes to life in this historic photograph, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

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[3 boys of an orphanage in West Virginia playing folk tunes on harmonicas as their contribution to the National Folk Festival, Philadelphia]

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Three boys from a West Virginia orphanage appear in this May 1944 photograph, playing harmonicas as their contribution to the National Folk Festival in Philadelphia. The festival, founded in 1934 by Sarah Gertrude Knott, brought regional singers, dancers and musicians to city audiences to perform their own traditions. Harmonicas were inexpensive and portable, common in rural and Appalachian homes, so the scene reflects the everyday music the festival hoped to honor.

Created / published1944 May.
Medium1 photographic print.
NotesNo. 24316-FF. This record contains unverified data from caption card. Caption card tracings: Geogr.; Orphans; Music.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,007 × 1,536 px · prints to 3 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-156570

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