A young man sits for a sixth plate daguerreotype at the gallery of Jeremiah Gurney, one of antebellum New York City's most celebrated daguerreian operators. The image dates to the period of Gurney's tenancy at 349 Broadway, placing it between 1852 and 1860, when the studio ranked among the most prominent portrait establishments in the country. The plate is housed in a leather case with a burgundy velvet interior panel embossed with an ornate urn motif.

The subject is shown in a close three-quarter bust view, his dark, wavy hair swept back from a broad forehead, his direct gaze steady and composed. He wears a dark frock coat over a matching waistcoat, a white shirt with a tall stiff collar, and a large black silk bow tie knotted loosely at the throat. The oval gilt mat frames the composition tightly, its rope-and-bead border characteristic of mid-century presentation standards.

Jeremiah Gurney operated continuously on Broadway from 1843 and won recognition at the American Institute Fair multiple times through the 1850s. His 349 Broadway address, acquired from the Whitehurst gallery in June 1852, became the primary seat of his practice after he consolidated operations there in February 1853, and remained so through the decade.

The photographer's imprint "GURNEY" and the address "349 BROADWAY" are embossed into the gilt mat at the lower corners, visible in the close images of the case interior.

Property of a Palmer, Massachusetts gentleman.