Its daily clientele was made up mainly of locals from the neighborhood, such as lawyers coming in from the headquarters of the Court of Public Order, located at the Convent of the Salesas Reales, in addition to occasional witnesses or relatives of the accused, and journalists in search of news, especially of gruesome cases such as the crime of Fuencarral street (which took place in 1888).
[e] Participants in the tertulia included journalist Augusto Vivero Rodríguez, who acted as chairman, and attorney Eduardo Ortega y Gasset (older brother to the philosopher José), or those who endorsed opposing ideologies, such as the militant communist Marino García and diehard right-winger Francisco Olías.
[4] On 8 December 1933, communist journalist Rosario del Olmo [es] set up an appointment with poet Antonio Machado at the Café de las Salesas.
[4] The photograph included a third figure in the scene, that of Braulio, the waiter, reflected in the large mirror alongside the page of a calendar marking the date.
Both the photograph and the interview would not be published until 12 January 1934 by newspaper La Libertad, with the title Deberes del arte en el momento actual.