HE Strand Magazine was first published in 1891 and survived until after the Second World War. It published a mixture of fiction and factual studies of contemporary life. Amongst its contributors of fictional short storie were Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie whose famous characters of Holmes, Poirot and Marple first appeared in its pages. Before the Great War 1914-18, it had a circulation of 500,000 a month and was the most widely read periodical of the day. Its factual articles and features mirrored society at all levels and in most facets throughout its long publication history. It also operated an exceptional editorial policy of publishing "an illustration on every opening". By the 200th issue in 1907 it had published 30,000 original illustrations.

This series of five articles presents its summary of the musicians one might find on the streets of London in the 1890s. The original article was written by Gilbert Guerdon and is reproduced in "London Scene from the Strand, Aspects of Victorian London culled from the Strand Magazine selected and arranged by Gareth Cotterell", Diploma Press, London, 1974. The additional notes are by Bill McCann.