Photomontage of Various Soldiers, Firemen and Celebrities Titled "Ben Gurney's Dream" (1870's)

Photomontage of a collection of various unidentified soldiers, firemen and celebrities titled "Ben Gurney's Dream," c. 1870s. Some of the soldiers appear to be German while most look like they are American militiamen or cadets. Other photos of soldiers look like they might be from the Civil War era. Identified celebrities in the photomontage include Ulysses S. Grant, Edwin Booth, Mark Twain, and Horace Greeley. Originally published as a stereoview by photography firm J. Gurney & Son. Ben Gurney almost certainly refers to Jeremiah Gurney's son Benjamin who was also a photographer and presumably was the creator of this photomontage. The man with the camera at bottom right of the photomontage has a passing resemblance to this double exposure CDV of Benjamin Gurney at the National Portrait Gallery.

Source: Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Photo of a Large Crowd on 4th Street Possibly Watching Firemen Battling a Building Fire in St. Louis, Missouri (1868)

View of a large crowd on 4th Street possibly watching firemen battle a building fire in St. Louis, Missouri, c. 1868. Note the stream of water in the street gutter in the foreground which probably is coming from the firemen's efforts. Originally published as a stereoview.
 

Source: Missouri Historical Society.

Portrait of Firemen Posing With a Steam Pumper Fire Engine Named Mazeppa No 3 in Factory Square in Fitchburg, Massachusetts (1866)

Portrait of firemen posing with a steam pumper fire engine named Mazeppa No 3 in Factory Square in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, 1866. From the book Fitchburg Past and Present by William Andrew Emerson published in 1903.

Stereoview of a Scene Titled “Paying the Election Bet” Showing a Crowd Surrounding a Man Wearing a Patriotic Outfit and Riding on a Cart in a Street Somewhere in Cheshire County, New Hampshire (1872)

Stereoview of a scene titled “paying the election bet” showing a crowd surrounding a man dressed as Uncle Sam riding on a cart in a street somewhere in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, November 14, 1872. By J. A. French.

Source.

Hand-Colored Ambrotype Portrait of a Group of Firemen Posing With a Mobile Fire Hose on Meiggs Wharf in San Francisco, California

Hand-colored ambrotype portrait of a group of firemen posing with a mobile fire hose on Meiggs Wharf in San Francisco, California, c. 1850's.

Source.

Daguerreotype Portrait of a Group of Firemen of the Arundel Engine Company Posing With Their Hand-Pumped Fire Engine in Kennebunkport, Maine (1850)

Daguerreotype portrait of a group of firemen of the Arundel Engine Company posing with their hand-pumped fire engine in Kennebunkport, Maine, c. 1850.

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Firefighters Putting Out a Blaze in a Warehouse Owned by Cyrus Fields in New York City (1859)

A crowd watching firefighters putting out a fire in a warehouse owned by Cyrus W. Field in New York City, 1859. Animated stereoview.

Source.