In 1840, Jeremiah Gurney abandoned his career as a jeweler to establish one of New York City’s first daguerreotype studios. Despite vigorous competition from rivals such as Mathew Brady, Gurney soon developed his reputation as a leading camera artist whose works were “nearer to absolute perfection” than those of other daguerreotypists.
Widely admired for the beautiful, hand-tinted images produced in his studio, Gurney continued to make daguerreotypes until the latter half of the 1850s.
This exhibition will feature a selection of daguerreotype portraits by Jeremiah Gurney from the collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum alongside works from several private collections.
Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website