Spite House Picture Gallery & Framing

in Main Street, Chamber News, Chamber Member, Virginia City

Originally from Elko, Mary LaMorte is a Nevada native and University of Nevada, Reno alumni, where she also taught photography. She began visiting Virginia City in the 80s, and it captured a special place in her heart. Her love of history, photography, and framing has blended perfectly with historic Virginia City, Nevada, where she has her shop, Spite House Picture Gallery & Framing.

“The things I love about living and work in Virginia City – there’s so many, but – the people that live here and work here as well is absolutely amazing,” Mary said. “The support is wonderful. Support from the chamber is wonderful, and local businesses are just amazing. Plus, the people that come visit, I learn something new every day by people who are history buffs who come in and want to talk about the history of our great little town here. It’s pretty amazing.”

Located at 55 N C Street on the lower level, under the Roasting House, the Spite House Gallery overlooks the 100-mile view in the building from 1876, originally the old Brass Rail Saloon building. Shop visitors can find unique treasures to gift or bring home, and locals can discover historic gems that capture the spirit of Virginia City and the Comstock.

Mary's creative eye hand picks photographs, documents, and collections from artists across the county and the world. She has over 500 photos in her archive, ready to customize for customers, printing them to size and frame. Her historical photo collection includes originals of Virginia City from the 19^th century, and a photograph of General Grant, when he visited Virginia City. Throughout the year, Mary features collections like the “Bonny Scotland” collection of photographs she curated and displayed during the Scottish Highland Games in Virginia City.

After a photo is selected, Mary frames it using locally sourced materials. The historical documents in her shop include a receipt from The Territorial Enterprise. These items are carefully framed in UV protective glass to display while preserving it.

The frames are part of the art as well, which Mary makes herself, doing the woodwork, staining, and designs. She creates the frames customized for each piece, complimenting the style and colors. “I’m always working to design for the actual piece of artwork,” she said.

When you learn the creativity, care and craftsmanship of the work that Mary does, it’s pretty incredible. First, she searches and seeks out the historical photos and items, sometimes bidding in auctions. She prints the photographs, then builds the frame, oftentimes out of local materials, and stains it to compliment the artwork. She frames and finishes the artwork, front to back, and includes the backstory in a description on the back.

Mary LaMorte’s Spite House Picture Gallery & Framing is just one of the many special places in historic Virginia City and a great reminder to slow down, stop into local businesses, and learn the stories and history of the people and places that make Virginia City truly memorable.

Learn more about Spite House Picture Gallery & Framing on the business page

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