View in the Curiosity Shop 1864

This photograph, by Jeremiah Gurney, presents us with the interior of a curiosity shop, recorded with the then-new technology of photography. Gurney's work demonstrates the unique qualities of early photographic processes. The sepia tones and soft focus are results of the interaction of light, chemicals, and paper, fixing an image in a way that no other medium could at the time. What is depicted in the image is significant: it is a storehouse of commodities, each one made by skilled hands. From textiles to taxidermied animals, to carefully arranged ceramics displayed in a vitrine, these were the kinds of rare and exotic goods that were traded and sold in a capitalist economy. Consider the labor involved in producing each of these items, from resource extraction and manufacturing to their arrangement for sale. Photography, as a technology, could reproduce such images rapidly, making the material world newly visible and available for consumption. In this sense, Gurney’s photograph reflects how new technologies like photography can both celebrate and participate in an emerging world of mass production.