Existing comment:
Gurney's Daguerrean Saloon -- Broadway, New York
When the Illustrated News published this interior view of Gurney's new gallery, located at 349 Broadway, the accompanying article observed:
Mr. Gurney's establishment consists of nine spacious rooms, devoted exclusively to this art. The proprietor owes the high reputation of his pictures entirely to his own personal exertions. Having had, we understand, more than twelve years' experience, he has attained for himself a theoretical and practical knowledge excelled by no others in the profession.
In this depiction of Gurney's handsomely appointed reception room, patrons can be seen admiring works that line the walls. At a table in the center of the room, an assistant helps a woman select a case for her daguerreotype. Behind them, a man in a top hat stands before the box-like grand piano that visitors were invited to play for their own amusement.
Leslie & Hooper (active 1853–1854)
Wood engraving, 1853
Published in the Illustrated News, November 12, 1853
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Larry J. West |