[1] The collection included a wide range of items including paintings, engravings, photographs, reproductions, antiquities, ceramics, glass, metalwork, natural history specimens, and images of Manchester.
In keeping with Horsfall's moral views, no nudes were displayed at the gallery.
[2] A room in the gallery was furnished by William Morris as an example of aesthetic design.
[2] According to the historian Shelagh Wilson, the gallery was popular as a respectable alternative attraction to pubs and music halls, but by the early 20th century it was unable to compete with new forms of popular entertainment.
It closed in 1953 and its contents were absorbed into the collection of Manchester City Art Gallery.