Volume XXII, Number 2 Spring 2004

Madame Armand François Pitot by Jacques GuillaumeLucien Amans, ca. 1838 (1984.158), gift of Mr. andMrs. Henry C. Pitot

Plantation burial by John Antrobus, 1860 (1960.46)

French Market and Red Store by Louis Dominique GrandjeanDevelle, between 1840 and 1850 (1948.1)

Unidentified uniformed black orchestra, ca. 1900 (92-48-L, MSS 520, f. 2312),William Russell Jazz Collection, Clarisse Claiborne Grima Fund purchase

From Louis XIVto Louis Armstrong

A Cultural TapestryThe Levee New Orleans ca. 1859 by Boyd Cruise, 1959 (1992.94), gift of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond H. Kierr in memory of Robert M. Kierr

April 13, 2004, marked the openingof From Louis XIV to LouisArmstrong: A Cultural Tapestry—anexhibition based on La Louisiane,de la colonie française à l’Étataméricain, which was held at theMona Bismarck Foundation inParis from December 16, 2003,through February 28, 2004. Amilestone in The Collection’shistory, La Louisiane, the onlymajor European exhibition com-memorating the Louisiana Pur-chase bicentennial, showcased 173objects from The Collection’s vastholdings. Several items from Frenchcultural institutions and the LouisianaState Museum—including Edgar Degas’sfamous 1873 painting New OrleansCotton Exchange, the French copy ofthe ratified Louisiana Purchase treaty,and a Mardi Gras Indian costume—supplemented The Collection’s hold-ings in this presentation on the historyof Louisiana.

From Louis XIV to Louis Armstrong,now on view at 533 Royal Street andthe Williams Research Center at 410Chartres Street, addresses the samethemes covered in La Louisiane—colonial history, the development of19th-century New Orleans, the visualarts from 1870 to 1940, and jazz.Underscoring the major areas of

emphasis in The Collection’s holdings,From Louis XIV to Louis Armstrong fea-tures paintings from the Laura SimonNelson and Monroe-Green Collectionsand ephemera on Louis Armstrong,Bunk Johnson, and Jelly Roll Morton,among others, from the WilliamRussell Jazz Collection. Additionally,two manuscript maps from the ServiceHistorique de la Marine in France areon display for the first time in theUnited States—a hand-colored map ofthe Mississippi prepared for the pub-lished account of General VictorCollot’s notorious journey through theMississippi Valley in 1796, and Nicolasde Finiel’s highly detailed map ofUpper Louisiana prepared in 1798 andsubmitted by Colonial Prefect Pierre

Clément Laussat to French officialsin 1804.

Visitors to From Louis XIV toLouis Armstrong: A Cultural Tapestrywill recognize many familiar itemsin a new context. For those discov-ering The Collection for the firsttime, the exhibition presents anabbreviated survey of the holdingsand hints at the richness of materi-als housed in the Williams ResearchCenter and displayed throughoutthe museum complex on RoyalStreet. The exhibition will remainon view through October 9, 2004,

during which time curators willconduct tours of the exhibition at12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays (except hol-idays). For further information call(504) 598-7171.

A catalogue published in French bySomogy Editions d’Art, includingessays by Collection staff membersJohn Lawrence, Alfred Lemmon, JohnMagill, and Jason Wiese, accompaniedthe exhibition at the Mona BismarckFoundation. The Historic New OrleansCollection has partnered with theMona Bismarck Foundation to publishan English edition of the catalogue(for ordering information, see page 15).The excerpts on pages 3-5 and 8-9are from the essays examining jazzand the visual arts.

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DECEMBER IN PARIS

In celebration of the opening ofLa Louisiane, de la coloniefrançaise à l’État américain at theMona Bismarck Foundation, TheCollection hosted a five-day tour inParis that included visits to theHôtel de Salm, which inspiredthe dome of Jefferson’s home atMonticello, and Malmaison, thechateau purchased by Napoleon’swife, Josephine, as a retreat fromthe Tuileries Palace.

Preparations department staff handling specially designedcrates for items to be shipped to France for the MonaBismarck Foundation exhibition.

Participants in THNOC’s tour in Paris, pictured at Malmaison. From left to right, Marie France Pille,Mary Lou Christovich, Cheryl Betz, Windle Dyer, Susan Dyer, Barbara Broadwell, Robert Becnel, Dee DeeZink, Benjamin Crosby, Alice Jouve, Lynda Mobley, Joan Lennox, Priscilla Lawrence, Judi Burrus, MaryGail Landry, Michael Sartisky, Courtney-Anne Sarpy, John Sarpy, Linda Sarpy, Walker Ronaldson, BillChristovich, Bonnie Rault, Joe Rault, George Hero, Becky de Boisblanc, Roslyn Lemmon, Dannie Hero,Harry Lemmon, Mary Ann Lemmon, Kathy Slimp, Alfred Lemmon, Jack Pruitt, Anne-Marie Quette

From Louis XIVto Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Tapestry

The word “jazz”—initially spelled“jass” or “jasz”—didn’t surface in theAmerican popular culture lexiconuntil about 1914, three years beforethe first jazz records were made by theOriginal Dixieland Jass Band. Somehistorians believe that this slang termreferred originally to sex, and originatedin New Orleans, where prostitutesfavored jasmine perfume, and loosewomen were called “jezebels.” It mayalso derive in part from the French verbjaser, meaning “to chatter” or “to gossip.”When applied to music, jazz denoted adistinctive polyrhythmic, syncopated,improvisational sound that was entirelynew to its listeners. Jazz was, and still is,a creative fusion of diverse musicaltraditions and techniques. Historiansdiffer on the question of when and howthis fusion began, but the generalconsensus is that it happened inNew Orleans sometime between1895 and 1914.

A f t e r t h e C i v i l Wa r a n dReconstruction, the popularity of brassbands soared throughout the UnitedStates, especially in New Orleans. Bythe 1880s there were many such bandsworking in the city, and as the 19thcentury drew to a close, a curious fusionbegan to occur. The polyrhythmic sensi-

bility inherited from the earlier CongoSquare slave dances began to blendwith the popular brass band marches,waltzes, and polkas of the time, even asNew Orleans bands absorbed newmusical influences such as “rags.”Ragtime, a musical style made popularby composer Scott Joplin, offered lively,syncopated dance songs that drew on a

variety of musical sources, includingminstrel tunes, marches, spirituals, andfolk songs…. Finally, the arrival in NewOrleans of thousands of unemployedcotton and sugarcane workers broughtthe final ingredients needed to formjazz music and imbue it with a soul:black Baptist church hymns and theirpopular counterpart, the blues….

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New Orleans: The Cradle of Jazz

Buddy Bolden’s band, ca. 1905 (92-48-L, MSS 520, f. 1691),William Russell Jazz Collection,Clarisse Claiborne Grima Fund purchase. Charles “Buddy” Bolden (1877-1931) may have been thefirst jazz innovator, at a time when jazz was in its infancy. Relatively little is known about Bolden,who was never recorded and appears in only one photograph. Bolden’s band played in honky-tonks,parades, and dances and eventually rose to become one of the most popular bands in New Orleans.Pictured are Frank Lewis (clarinet), Willie Cornish (trombone), Buddy Bolden (cornet), JimmyJohnson (bass), Willie Warner (clarinet), and “Brock” Jeff Mumford (guitar).

Fate Marable’s SS Sidney Band, ca. 1918 (92-48-L, MSS 532, f. 79),William Russell Jazz Collection, Clarisse Claiborne Grima Fundpurchase. Fate Marable led what many early musicians called “TheConservatory.” His bands on the Strekfus Mississippi riverboat lineserved as a training academy for many of the great jazz musicians ofthe 1920s. Marable, who insisted that his musicians learn to readmusic, played piano and riverboat steam calliopes. The keys of thesteam calliope sometimes grew so hot that Marable had to wear glovesto play it. The musicians shown here are, from left to right, Warren“Baby” Dodds, Bebé Ridgely, Joe Howard, Louis Armstrong, FateMarable, David Jones, Johnny Dodds, Johnny St. Cyr, and George“Pops” Foster. Riverboat orchestras like this one did a great deal tospread New Orleans jazz to other river cities in America.

From Louis XIVto Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Tapestry

�

4

New Orleans musicians were thefirst to blend European instrumenta-tion and melody with “ragging,”African polyrhythms, and AfricanAmerican blues and church music.Their horns were the first to echo themoans of the congregation and toreproduce the joyful call-and-response between the preacher andhis flock. Their drums and pianoswere the first to mimic the cross-rhythms of clapping hands andstomping feet. And they were the firstto inflect their music with blue notesand to recall the three-chord, twelve-bar arrangements that would allow for

infinite variations and collec-tive improvisation. In short,they were the first to play themusic that would eventuallybe called “jazz.”

�One of the more popularvenues for dances was EconomyHall in the historically blackTremé neighborhood, but therewere many others, such as LincolnPark, the Masonic (or Odd Fellows)Hall, Perseverance Hall, San JacintoHall, and the Union Sons Hall, betterknown as “Funky Butt Hall.” This lastvenue was made famous by the leg-endary cornetist Charles “Buddy”Bolden (1877-1931).

Bolden may have been the firstjazz innovator, at a time when jazzwas in its infancy…. Relatively little isknown about Bolden. He was neverrecorded and appears in only onephotograph. All that remains are thestories. His band started playingaround 1895 in honky-tonks,parades, and dances and eventuallyrose to become one of the most popu-lar bands in the city…. His fame wasnot to last. The popular story is thathe broke his own heart with the beauty ofhis playing, but the more prosaic realityis that he began to suffer headachesand episodes of dementia. Finally,during a Labor Day parade in 1907,Bolden broke down and walked away,never to play his horn in public again.He is buried in Holt Cemetery onCity Park Avenue.

�Storyville, also known as “TheDistrict,” was the legendary “red light”section of New Orleans that operatedlegally between 1897 and 1917….While jazz was not born there, the dis-trict did expose the new music to awider audience. Smaller brothels fea-tured piano “professors,” while mostjazz musicians in the district wereemployed in dance bands in clubs andrestaurants such as Pete Lala’s, the 101Ranch, the Tuxedo Dance Hall, andthe Big 25.

As jazz music grew in popularity, somemusicians sought to enhance their mar-ketability by claiming to have inventedit. In truth, no one person or band couldtake the credit for something made andrefined by scores of musicians, but thatdidn’t matter….

[A] credible claim came from theOriginal Dixieland ‘Jass’ Band, a five-piece white ensemble from New Orleansthat included veterans of Papa JackLaine’s marching bands. After successfulshows in Chicago and New York, thisgroup became the first jazz band to berecorded, by Columbia Records inJanuary of 1917. A subsequent record-ing session at Victor Records propelledthe Original Dixieland Jass Band—andjazz music—into the hearts and homesof millions of Americans…. Midwaythrough 1917, the Original Dixieland

Louis Armstrong’s 125 Jazz Breaks for Cornet,sheet music by Melrose Bros. Music Company,Chicago, 1927 (92-48-L, MSS 536, Armstrong,f. 320), William Russell Jazz Collection, ClarisseClaiborne Grima Fund purchase. “Breaks” injazz are short solos played by one musician whilethe rest of the band pauses. Louis Armstrong’srecorded solos and live performances set a newstandard for cornet players, who would endlesslyreplay his records and practice his solos note-for-note. The opening cadenza of “West End Blues”was particularly difficult, and few, if any, mas-tered it. The Melrose Brothers Music Companyin Chicago approached Armstrong in 1927 withthe idea of transcribing his cornet breaks for pub-lication. Armstrong agreed and played 125 selec-tions into a Dictaphone. The recordings weresubsequently lost, but the transcribed breaks werepublished. Armstrong bought himself a new carwith the proceeds and left Chicago for evengreater fame in New York City.

Brass band funeral march, Dumaine Street,New Orleans, photograph by William Russell,1946 (92-48-L MSS 520, f. 376), WilliamRussell Jazz Collection, Clarisse Claiborne GrimaFund purchase. In March 1946, jazz collectorand historian Bill Russell made a series of photo-graphs to document a jazz funeral procession inthe historically black Tremé neighborhood.This image shows Kid Howard’s brass band—featuring Jim Robinson, Louis Dumaine, andGeorge Lewis—on its way to a funeral home,from which the deceased and mourners would beaccompanied through the streets to one of the localcemeteries. Until the deceased reached his finalresting place, the band would have played slow,mournful spirituals, swaying as they walked, andgathering a steadily growing crowd as they movedalong. Russell noted that this procession wassponsored by the Square Deal Boys, probably aclub or benevolent society based in Tremé.Unfortunately, jazz funerals in recent yearshave devolved into crowded media spectacles.

�

Jazz Band corrected the spelling of theirname, and Victor Records catalogs andpublicity described them as the“creators of jazz.”…

Whatever the music’s origins, thephenomenal popularity of the OriginalDixieland Jazz Band led dancehalls andclubs in Chicago and other northerncities to seek out and hire other musi-cians who could play “New Orleans-style” music to satisfy the lucrative newdemand for it. Thus began the exodus ofNew Orleans musicians up theMississippi River.

�Soon a thriving trade in so-called“race records” began, led by a divisionof the General Phonograph Corpora-tion called Okeh. These records,which featured black artists, were ini-tially intended for black buyers, as itwas generally believed that white lis-teners preferred music by white musi-cians…. Soon enough it became clearthat certain songs and musicians tran-scended race and could be in demandby everybody. The first major crossoversuccess from Okeh Records was ayoung cornet player from New Orleansnamed Louis Armstrong.

Born in 1901 in a rough NewOrleans neighborhood of brothels andgambling dens, Louis Armstrong hadevery reason to die young, penniless,and unknown…. The turning pointcame in the Colored Waifs Home,where Armstrong had been sent as ajuvenile delinquent. The home had aband, and Armstrong, already devotedto New Orleans’s street music, seized

the chance to join it as a cornetplayer…. In 1917, Armstrong met andfell under the musical influence of thegreat King Oliver. When Oliver wentnorth, the young Armstrong took overhis place as cornet player in Kid Ory’sBrown Skinned Babies Band….Armstrong…played for a time with hisfriend Zutty Singleton’s band inStoryville…. His stage presence andmasterful playing spread his reputationfar beyond Rampart Street, and itwasn’t long until Louis…finally left hisbeloved hometown for a musical careerin the North.

5

Second-line parade under the Claiborne Avenue/I-10 overpass, New Orleans, photo-graph by Christopher Porché-West, 1981 (1981.115), gift of Stanton M. Frazar. Anintegral part of the brass-band parade and jazz funeral traditions in New Orleans isthe so-called “second line.” The term refers to the people following behind the bandor spontaneously joining the parade to dance. Second-line parades date back to the19th century and are a testament to the natural inclination of New Orleanians torespond joyfully and actively to music. There are numerous second-line clubs of longstanding, many of which originated in the Tremé neighborhood. Members of theseclubs routinely parade with brass bands on major holidays and often wear colorfuland color-coordinated outfits, with hats, fans, and umbrellas to shield them from thesun. These clubs, with names like the Money Wasters Social Aid and Pleasure Club,Avenue Steppers, and New Orleans Buck Jumpers, function in part as benevolentsocieties that provide residents of black neighborhoods with basic insurance, paidfrom membership dues to those in need.

Greg Stafford and Leroy Jones of the HurricaneBrass Band, photograph by Jules Cahn, 1975(2000.78.8.1), Jules Cahn Collection. This viewshows two young trumpet players from theHurricane Brass Band: Greg Stafford on the leftand Leroy Jones on the right. Other unidentifiedband members can be seen in the background.The Hurricane Brass Band was organized in the1970s as an outgrowth of the Fairview BaptistChurch Band. Most of the teenagers in the bandlater became professional musicians. In recentyears, many young people have joined brass bands,creating a vital new fusion between traditionalNew Orleans jazz and contemporary urban funkand “hip hop” beats. Groups like the Dirty Dozen,Rebirth, and Little Rascals brass bands haveattracted a new generation of listeners to jazz.

Jazz…turned increasingly throughthe 1930s toward individual soloistsand larger swing bands…. The oldermusicians who had played with BuddyBolden were beginning to pass away,and it seemed that early jazz might fadeaway with them. However, therewere some jazz musicians andmusic enthusiasts who had come to

believe that early New Orleans-stylemusic was jazz in its purest form, andtheir enthusiasm launched what mightbe termed a Dixieland Revival.

�In the 1980s, a new generation ofmusicians emerged to simultaneouslyexplore the roots of this American musicand take it in new directions. TrumpeterWynton Marsalis stood at the vanguard ofthis movement, along with other “younglions” from New Orleans: saxophonistsBranford Marsalis and Donald Harrison,Jr., and trumpeters Terrence Blanchardand Nicholas Payton. These young musi-cians, and others from around the coun-try, continue to pick up the threads ofmusic and history first laid down acentury ago by musicians like BuddyBolden, Kid Ory, and Joe Oliver andscores of others, some famous, someforgotten, yet all alive in the music.

—Jason Wiese

None of the buildings housing the jazzlandmarks mentioned in this articleremain except 401 S. Rampart St., the siteof the Eagle Saloon.

From Louis XIVto Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Tapestry

�

In an essay entitled “Why the Title?”Tennessee Williams remarked on theevents in his life that were the basis forthe play The Glass Menagerie. Williamswrote about his family’s move fromMississippi to St. Louis, noting thattheir new urban apartment was “aboutas cheerful as an Arctic winter.” Hementioned an alleyway outside hissister Rose’s window where cats wereoften trapped by packs of dogs: “Mysister would be awakened in the nightby the struggle and in the morning thehideously mangled victim would belying under her window.” Thisdepressed Rose so that she kept theshades to the window permanentlydrawn, and she and Tennessee (thenTom) attempted to make the roombrighter and cheerier by painting all ofher furniture white and arranging hercollection of small glass articles, mostlyanimals, on the shelves in her room.

Regarding the little glass articles, henoted, “By poetic association they cameto represent, in my memory, all thesoftest emotions that belong to recollec-

tion of things past. They stood for allthe small and tender things thatrelieve the austere pattern of life andmake it endurable to the sensitive.”

The Glass Menagerie opened atthe Civic Theatre in Chicago inDecember 1944. In celebration of the

60th anniversary of the opening,The Collection has mountedReflections on The Glass Menagerie, asmall exhibition on view at theWilliams Research Center throughJune 30, 2004. Drawn from theFred W. Todd Tennessee WilliamsCollection, the exhibition not onlyexplores the production history of theplay, but also examines the real eventsthat inspired it and the effect that theplay’s tremendous success had onWilliams’s life.

Showcasing photographs, manu-scripts, and ephemera, Reflections onThe Glass Menagerie features a ratherterse letter from Tennessee Williams tothe producers of the 1950 film versionof The Glass Menagerie criticizing themfor not standing up to Hollywood cen-sors when they cut portions of the dia-logue because they “suggested incest.”Also on display is the diary of EdwinaDakin Williams, Tennessee’s mother,written at the time that the actualevents depicted in the play took place.

—Mark Cave

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In Louisiana few subjects figure moreconstantly and prominently in the lifeand records of the state’s communitiesthan the ownership and distributionof land. Indeed, Louisiana itself wasonce the object of the largest real-estatetransaction in American history.Documents recording original landdistribution and settlement fill theshelves of research institutions like TheHistoric New Orleans Collection.Robert Patrick Hicks’s recent donationof an important Spanish colonial landgrant supplements the manuscriptsdivision’s varied records on propertyholdings and land use. Spanish colonialland grants presented a challenge torecipients after the Louisiana Purchase

as many immigrants who had receivedsignificant amounts of land from theSpanish felt insecure as they awaitedvalidation of their claims by the newAmerican government.

In 1786, Louis George Demaretreceived 2,000 arpents (roughly 1,700acres) of land on Bayou Teche fromGovernor Esteban Miró under theconditions that he improve the land,build a road, and agree not to sell ortransfer the property. Demaret andhis wife, Adelaïde Blanco Navarro(daughter of Spanish intendant FelixMartín Antonio Navarro), built a plan-tation home on the land, now known asFrances Plantation, near present-dayFranklin, Louisiana.

Robert Hicks is a descendent ofLouis and Adelaïde Demaret. In thecourse of his genealogical research, Mr.Hicks discovered that the original grantand related documents were preservedin the Demaret family Bible in thehome of James Graham Gill, Jr., Mr.Hicks’s cousin. Recognizing the impor-tance of these documents to the state ofLouisiana, Mr. Gill sent them to RobertHicks who in turn donated them toThe Collection. The material has founda permanent home at the WilliamsResearch Center where it is available toscholars and genealogists.

Footnote to History

Important Spanish Colonial Land Grant Now in The Collection’s Holdings

Anthony Ross as the gentleman caller and Julie asLaura in the original production of The GlassMenagerie at the Civic Theatre in Chicago, April1945 (2001-10-L, MSS 562, f. 1148), Fred W.Todd Tennessee Williams Collection

REFLECTIONS ON g{x ZÄtáá `xÇtzxÜ|x

The simple question “What is The Historic NewOrleans Collection?” lacks a correspondingly simpleanswer. Viewing the new exhibition, From LouisXIV to Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Tapestry, willprovide insight into the institution. The dozens ofobjects drawn from The Collection’s holdingsfocus on the topics of colonial history, the growthof New Orleans, a blossoming of the visual arts,and jazz from its birth to the present. Though these categories do notfully represent our holdings and our mission, they illuminate ourstrengths.

As the cover story states, the exhibition has returned from Paris. Over30,000 people visited La Louisiane, de la colonie Française à l’État américainat the Mona Bismarck Foundation in a two-and-a-half-month period. TheFrench version of the catalog, with four essays by Collection staff anddozens of illustrations, sold out. An English version is now available.Thanks goes to the Mona Bismarck Foundation for supporting the cata-log and to Frank and Marian Bruno and T. Windle and Susan Kierr Dyerfor their enthusiastic assistance.

A new title, From Louis XIV to Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Tapestry,and slightly modified contents make the New Orleans presentation dif-ferent from the one in Paris. Included are two spectacular maps from theService Historique de la Marine in France. An 18th-century watercolormap of the Mississippi River prepared for the published account of VictorCollot’s journey, measuring nearly 12 feet by 4 feet, will be exhibited inNew Orleans for the first time. Almost as large, Nicolas de Finiels’s 1798map of Upper Louisiana is similar to the monumental de Finiels mapcompleted for the king of Spain in 1804, which was featured in ourLouisiana Purchase exhibition, A Fusion of Nations, A Fusion of Cultures:Spain, France, the United States and the Louisiana Purchase. The1804 map is reproduced in Charting Louisiana: Five Hundred Years of Maps.

The ninth annual Williams Resesarch Center Symposium, ChartingLouisiana: Exploration and Settlement, was held on January 31 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New Orleans. Michael Sartisky, president and chiefexecutive officer of the Louisana Endowment for the Humanities, servedas moderator for a stellar program tracing the exploration, discovery, andsettlement of the Louisiana Purchase territory. Special thanks goes to theRitz-Carlton for providing the wonderful space and amenities and to ouradditional sponsors, BankOne, Citigroup, Associated Office Systems,St. Denis J. Villere & Co., Dorian M. Bennett, Inc., K-Paul’s LouisianaKitchen, the Law Offices of Robert M. Becnel and Diane Zink, theCanadian Consulate General, and Purveyor of Fine Wines, Ltd.

Mark your calendars for the 10th annual Williams Research Centersymposium scheduled for January 8, 2005. The 2005 symposium willexplore topics bearing on Great Britain’s relationship to Louisiana. Twoexhibitions are scheduled to coincide with the symposium—one on theEpiscopal Church in Louisiana and the other on Andrew Jackson and theBattle of New Orleans, developed in conjunction with The Hermitage inNashville, Tennessee. Please watch for exciting programs comingthroughout 2004.

—Priscilla Lawrence

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FROM THE DIRECTORThe Passing of the Gavel

In November 2003, after more than threedecades of service to The Historic NewOrleans Collection, Mary Louise Christovichwas named chair of the board of directors ofthe Kemper and Leila Williams Foundation,an honorary position in recognition of herexemplary leadership of The Collection.During her 12 years as board president, Mrs.Christovich counts the development of theWilliams Research Center and the emergenceof The Collection as an internationallyprominent museum and research facility ascrowning achievements.

John E. Walker, a member of the board ofdirectors since 1989 and vice-president since1991, took over as president of the board andCEO of the organization. “I am honored tofollow Mrs. Christovich as president of theboard,” said Mr. Walker. “Surrounded by ourtalented professional staff and distinguishedboard, I look forward to a bright future for TheCollection.” Charles A. Snyder, a board mem-ber since 1998, was named vice-president.

Charting Louisiana received the LouisianaLiterary Award from the Louisiana LibraryAssociation. The presentation was made at theLLA annual meeting in Monroe, Louisiana.The atlas also won the 2004 Humanities Bookof the Year Award from the LouisianaEndowment for the Humanities, which waspresented at the annual LEH HumanitiesAwards ceremony at the Governor’s Mansionin Baton Rouge.

CHARTING LOUISIANAFIVE HUNDRED YEARS OF MAPS

RECEIVES AWARDS

Mary Louise Christovich passing the president of the board’s gavelto John E. Walker

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During the period under examination, extending roughly from the endof the Civil War to the country’s entry into World War II, NewOrleans was the largest and most important city in the southern UnitedStates, having grown from a population of slightly less than200,000 in 1870 to nearly 600,000 in 1950. From the stand-point of sheer numbers, New Orleans has been a place to inspireartistic productivity.

�The legacy of images that define a concept of New Orleans andsouthern Louisiana has been crafted by both natives and visitors; by aca-demically trained artists and those who are self-taught; by men andwomen; by 19th- and 20th-century practitioners. Shortly after the con-clusion of the Civil War, a distinct “Louisiana school” of landscape paint-ing emerged. Drawing in spirit on two principal movements in 19th-century French painting—the plein air tradition of the Barbizon paintersand the experiential honesty of the Realists—Louisiana painters began toexplore their surroundings with an artistic rather than a documentaryresponse. The specifics of place, the quality of light, and the rendition ofatmosphere became important factors in the paintings of these artists.

�The World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884-85provided both the impetus for cultural self-examination and a showcaseof that culture to the rest of the world. This world’s fair was designed towrench the South from the economic doldrums caused by the Civil Warand its aftermath. It lasted for a year and included two principal com-ponents devoted to the visual arts. The Art Gallery contained a selectionof American and European paintings and sculptures by artists withestablished reputations, addressing broad international tastes. TheCreole Art Gallery, one that focused on the culture of New Orleansand its environs, presented examples of paintings by artists active inthe region.

�Immediately preceding the exposition, the formation of arts organi-zations, schools, and galleries in the city had provided the local audiencefor these exhibitions exposure to the arts. The Southern Art Unionopened a school in 1881, a year after the organization’s establishment. In1883 commercial galleries operated by Frederic Seebold and TheodoreLilienthal presented exhibitions encompassing hundreds of works bypainters working in Louisiana and from outside the region. In the wakeof the exposition, visual artists formed additional clubs and associationsproviding forums for discussing art theory and the promotion of theirwork. The long-lived Artists’ Association of New Orleans was incorpo-rated in 1886 and continued under a new name, the Art Association ofNew Orleans, until 1959. In 1887 the journal Art and Letters, devotedto southern subjects, was first published. In the early 20th century, theArts and Crafts Club (1922) and the Isaac Delgado Museum of Art(1911) became the bellwether organizations exhibiting works ofLouisiana artists and their national and international contemporaries.

�The establishment of the Newcomb College School of Art closelyfollowed the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition. Some

c|vàâÜ|Çz à{x \wxt Éy axã bÜÄxtÇáM

Uncle Sam Plantation, St. James Parish, Louisiana by George GardnerSymons, ca. 1920s (1999.44.2). Symons responded to the lush greeneryand brilliant play of sunshine on the architecture of Uncle SamPlantation, located about 45 miles above New Orleans on the left bankof the Mississippi River. In the late 1930s, Uncle Sam had the mostcomplete group of antebellum structures in the South. The Army Corpsof Engineers determined that the complex was in danger of being inun-dated by the encroaching Mississippi River and ordered the buildingsdemolished so that a new protection levee could be built. Requests tosave Uncle Sam from destruction reached officials too late; the demoli-tion of the buildings came about in 1938.

Fishing Camp on Lake Pontchartrain by William Henry Buck, 1880(1968.9). William Henry Buck was born in Norway but spent much ofhis life in New Orleans. A cotton broker by profession, he was a studentof Richard Clague’s. Buck opened his own studio in 1880 and beganpainting full time. His rural landscapes often include boats, buildings,and figures, giving the paintings a human element. With Clague andcontemporaries Marshall J. Smith, George David Coulon, and CharlesGiroux, among others, Buck cemented the notion of a “bayou school” ofpainting in Louisiana.

9

twenty years later, the School of Architecture at Tulane University was estab-lished. The Woodward brothers—Ellsworth and William respectively—provided the moving forces behind these enterprises….

William Woodward (1859-1939) was initially hired to teachdrawing and painting at Tulane University in 1884. The followingyear Ellsworth (1861-1939) arrived to undertake a similar positionand in 1887, became the first professor of art at Newcomb College. In1907, William established the Tulane University School ofArchitecture. The influence that the Woodwards had on the visual artsin New Orleans, through the ideas that they promoted and the legionsof well-trained students who pursued careers in the visual arts, isimpossible to overestimate….

Ellsworth was instrumental in establishing the ceramics program atNewcomb College in 1894, based on the success of the New Orleans ArtPottery Company…. Employing local clays in the construction of theceramics and motifs of native and naturalized plant forms, the decorativeprogram of Newcomb pottery extended the image of the Louisiana land-scape into objects of everyday use, such as vases, cups, plates, bowls, andcandlesticks….

William Woodward’s hundreds of works representing FrenchQuarter buildings not only embodied the ethos of New Orleans archi-tecture, but helped to establish an appreciation of its character by thepublic and argued strongly for its preservation. By the mid-1920s, thearchitectural preservation movement in New Orleans was organized andeffective. In the mid-1930s, the Vieux Carré Commission, a preservationagency still in existence, was established with William Woodward as akey member….

During the first quarter of the 20th century, Ellsworth Woodward’sinfluence on the arts grew beyond his role as a teacher. As a practicingartist, Woodward executed paintings that were exemplars of lateAmerican Impressionism. He assumed an active role in both the creationand the administration of the Isaac Delgado Museum of Art (now theNew Orleans Museum of Art)…. Woodward’s masterpiece Backyard inCovington (1930s) underscores not only his longtime dedication toImpressionism, but also a vitality that remained in his work throughouthis career.

�During the last quarter of the 20th century, scholarly efforts havebeen made to address southern art and to place New Orleans andLouisiana art of the 19th and early 20th centuries into that larger regionalcontext. The fit is not always, or not even often, a perfect one. The influ-ences that formed the character of artwork produced in New Orleanswere set against a background of traditions and heritage that few otherplaces in the South, let alone the United States, shared. The varied colo-nial heritage, the influences of so many currents of change that occur inan international port city, and the particular geography of the place influ-enced the art that developed.… External forces always assist in sculptingthe character of art. But in the end, it is the artist, reacting individually tothe setting, who has the final word.

—John H. Lawrence

Restaurant de la Renaissance by William Woodward, 1904(1976.181). William Woodward’s interest in architecture predateshis founding of the School of Architecture at Tulane University in1907. Restaurant de la Renaissance portrays a bustle of activity atthe corner of Chartres and Wilkinson Streets: liquid spills from awagon, an urchin sits in the gutter, and two figures peer frombehind the curtained doorway of the restaurant. The Cabildo, theseat of government in Spanish Louisiana, and the towers of St. LouisCathedral are visible in the distance.

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Backyard in Covington by Ellsworth Woodward, 1930s(1995.103.3), gift of Laura Simon Nelson. Ellsworth Woodwardpainted primarily in watercolor, but his oil painting Backyard inCovington is considered his masterpiece. Woodward moved toCovington, Louisiana, after a long teaching career at NewcombCollege. The small community situated north of Lake Pontchartrainwas a popular vacation destination for New Orleanians. In the soli-tude of the large pine forests of St. Tammany Parish (a motif thatappears in Woodward’s paintings and on Newcomb pottery),Woodward executed this painting of a persimmon tree heavy with ripefruit, set against a background of lush flowers and other vegetation.Woodward’s mastery of Impressionism is evident both in the selectionof the subject and its pictorial and painterly treatment.

From Louis XIVto Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Tapestry

10

John and Linda Sarpy find themselvesat “the stage of life where we reallywant to know as much as we canabout our forebears.” For the Sarpys,now settled in the Carolina moun-tains, that means delving into the his-tory of New Orleans, where John’sfamily heritage is deeply rooted. Theirsearch for information about the cityhas led them to The Collection,where, according to John, “It is easyfor us to learn about our heritage.To serve up knowledge in such afashion that it’s fun to receive and toexcite a thirst for more and moreinformation is hard work at whichThe Collection excels.” Because theSarpys are so impressed with the staffand resources of The Collection,they have chosen to provide bothmonetary support, including mem-bership in the Laussat Society, andmaterial donations.

The Sarpys share an affection forNew Orleans. For John, born andraised in the uptown section of thecity, that fondness was instilled in himby his father, Leon Sarpy, who “hadan undying love and passion for thecity.” So much so that in his lateryears Leon Sarpy was a self-appointedtour guide on the St. Charles Avenuestreetcar line, pointing out buildings

of interest to tourists. Linda, originallyfrom Jacksonville, Florida, moved toNew Orleans to attend businessschool at Tulane University. Intendingto stay for only two years, she soonfound that “the city starts to sort ofenvelop you before you realize it.”

Ten years ago, John and Lindadecided to embark on careers thatwould engage the passions they haddeveloped in their respective child-hoods—horticulture and the decora-tive arts. John recalls weekends spentwith his father in the garden of theirhome on Audubon Park. Linda pro-fesses a lifelong love for “old things”that she attributes to time spent in theattic of her grandmother’s house.These passions led the Sarpys tothe Carolinas where they establishedenterprises dedicated to designing gar-dens, growing rare plants native to themountains, and retailing antiques.

The couple maintains theirconnection to New Orleans throughfrequent visits and their ongoingrelationship with The Historic NewOrleans Collection. In addition tousing the research facility, they enjoyattending programs where they cancome together with other interestedindividuals to “learn more about thiswonderful collection of cultures wecall New Orleans.” The Sarpys sup-port The Collection because “it isan organization that excels at what itdoes and that operates efficiently.The Collection is a model for othercommunities with a rich heritage.”

SUPPORTING A RICH HERITAGEWarwick Aiken, Jr.Larry W. Anderson and Michael B. BoulasArchives of the Archdiocese of New OrleansEdward Arnold The Azby FundSylvia BarkerMarilyn BarnettMr. and Mrs. Beauregard L. BassichRobert M. Becnel and Diane K. ZinkSteve BellasJack BelsomMr. and Mrs. Ed Benjamin, Jr.Marian Meyer BerkettHenry Bernstein and Jerry Zachary Cheryl BetzSarah V. Bohlen in memory of Ernest C. VillereBarbara V. BroadwellEric J. BrockMr. and Mrs. Hugh C. Brown, Jr.E. John BullardJudith Fos BurrusMr. and Mrs. Alan BurshellBob and Jan CarrCashio Cochran, LLCMrs. William K. ChristovichConsular Corps of New OrleansConsulate General of FranceWilliam C. CookWilliam Henry Couret IVBenjamin CrosbyWilliam R. Cullison III, Chet S. Kellogg CollectionDr. and Mrs. Richard Cusimano in memory of

Grace Canulette CusimanoMr. and Mrs. Mark DauerCoralie Guarino DavisRebecca W. de BoisblancBetty DeCelleDecorative Arts TrustDepartment of the Army, New Orleans District,

Corps of EngineersDorian Bennett, Inc.Lake Douglas and Debbie de la HoussayeJuliette DubeaMr. and Mrs. Prescott DunbarGayle M. EbeyerFidelity Homestead AssociationMr. and Mrs. Dudley D. FlandersW. Brooke FoxThe Free PressFrench Quarter HotelsFriends of Jefferson Public LibraryMaurice L. FrisellTerry GerstnerWilliam K. GreinerGulf States Marine Fisheries CommissionHarlan Crow LibraryCaptain Clarke HawleyKaren M. HensonHermann-Grima/Gallier Historic Houses Mr. and Mrs. George A. Hero IIIKevin HerridgeMartha HinrichsenLouise C. Hoffman in memory of Dorothy PorterDr. and Mrs. Jack HoldenLeslie Hood in honor of the Thomas and

Hood familiesThe IndependentR. B. JamesThe John Carter Brown LibraryJunior League of Monmouth County in honor of

John E. WalkerKarl KabelacMrs. Raymond H. KierrMrs. Robert J. KilleenPeggy Scott Laborde

D O N O R S :

John and Linda Sarpy

PLANNED GIVING MATERIALS AVAILABLE

To better serve the community, The HistoricNew Orleans Collection is pleased to offerthe following materials: ∑• Giving Through Your Will∑• Giving Securities∑• Giving Real Estate∑• Giving Through Retirement Plans∑• Giving Through Gift Annuities∑• Giving Through Charitable

Remainder Trusts∑• Giving Through Life InsuranceThese materials are provided free of chargeand without obligation; please call JackPruitt, Jr., director of development, (504) 598-7173.

11

From rare publications, such as Les Cenelles (1845), theearliest volume of poetry by African Americans pub-lished in the United States, to such recently pub-lished sources as Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of theBaroness de Pontalba by Christina Vella (1997), books arevaluable reference tools for the ever increasing numberof researchers visiting the Williams Research Center. TheCollection invites you to support the library by joiningthe Bookplate Program for $100—a gift that will pro-vide vital resources for students, teachers, and otherresearchers. Your donation will be used to purchase abook which will be marked with a commemorativebookplate listing your name. You may also honor anindividual or family. To join the Bookplate Program, seethe insert or send your gift to the Office ofDevelopment, The Historic New Orleans Collection,533 Royal Street, New Orleans, La., 70130; for moreinformation, call Gerald Patout, head librarian, at(504) 598-7125.

Mary Gail LandryMrs. W. Elliott Laudeman IIILaura PlantationMr. and Mrs. John H. LawrenceFrederick Lee LawsonPaul J. Leaman, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Michael LedetDr. Alfred E. LemmonJustice Harry T. Lemmon and Judge Mary Ann

Vial Lemmon in memory of Emerite Gahn Lemmon

Roslyn LemmonJoan LennoxDr. and Mrs. Alfredo LopezLouisiana Electric CooperativesLouisiana Jazz Club/Italian Jazz InstituteLouisiana Society of the Sons of the American

RevolutionLowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse of MetairieAdele F. LozesMr. and Mrs. Antoine LukeRalph MadisonMarathon County Historical SocietyJoseph N. Marcal IIILouis L. McCormick, Jr.Ann M. MeehanLynda MobleyBetty L. Moss in honor of the Andrée Moss familyMr. and Mrs. Roy J. MossyLaura Simon NelsonNew Orleans Public LibraryJeanne NichollsNorthwestern MutualPeter PatoutBrenda K. PerkinsMr. and Mrs. R. Hunter PiersonDiane W. PlauchéDr. Jessie J. Poesch The Pride of TerrebonnePurveyor of Fine Wines, Ltd.Claudia QueirozScott RatterreeMr. and Mrs. Joseph RaultWalker Y. Ronaldson, Jr.Robert K. RueDr. Robert F. RyanSt. Denis J. Villere & CompanyCourtney-Anne SarpyH. Leon SarpyMr. and Mrs. John SarpyDr. Michael SartiskyScat MagazineMr. and Mrs. Fred SmithMr. and Mrs. Joe D. SmithMr. and Mrs. Charles A. Snyder in memory of

Emerite Gahn Lemmon; in honor of Mary Louise Christovich

Sociedad EspañolaE. Alexandra StaffordThe Stewart Museum at the Fort, Île Sainte-HélèneIrma StieglerSubway Development CompanyThe Supreme Court of LouisianaFrancis Gary Sutton, Jr.Fred W. ToddTimothy TrapolinMr. and Mrs. Samuel A. TrufantUrsuline Convent Archives and MuseumRandell Brent VidrineMr. and Mrs. John E. WalkerMr. and Mrs. John G. WeinmannTrudy WilliamsonWilliam M. WohlfordYoung Leadership Council

JOIN THE COLLECTION’SBOOKPLATE PROGRAM

October - December 2003

The 18th annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival was celebratedMarch 24-28. The Collection was the site for the master classes and for a receptionFriday evening to honor participants. Pictured are, first row, Joel Vig and RexReed; Ellen Johnson and Dakin Williams; second row, Josh Clark, John Biguenet,and Rob Schauffler; Bob Schieffer and Dale Edmonds; third row, Sara and BillMoulton; Robert Morgan.

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For the fourth quarter of 2003(October-December), there were 25curatorial donations, totaling 731 items.■ The vernacular idiom of the picturepostcard has been a part of culturalexpression for more than a century.Because postcards cover a range ofsubjects matched by few other types ofmaterials, they serve as useful sourcesfor researchers. Four postcards fromIrma Stiegler, depicting scenesfrom the 1970s including CanalStreet at night and a wild azalea shrub,add to The Collection’s extensive post-card holdings. ■ A donation of five Louisiana-relatedmaps from W. Brooke Fox dovetailedwith the The Collection’s publicationof Charting Louisiana: Five HundredYears of Maps in the fall of 2003. Thegift includes the state map of Louisianafrom H. S. Tanner’s American Atlas of1820 and A. Bronsema’s 1855 plan ofNew Orleans. ■ Two large pastel portraits by AddisonM. Stringer and an architecturalrendering are among the gifts ofDr. and Mrs. Richard Cusimano inmemory of Grace Canulette Cusimano.The portraits, executed in the 1880s,depict Mr. and Mrs. Charles Thiel of

New Orleans. Charles Thiel operated astorage facility on the New Orleansriverfront, advertised as the largest of itstype on the Mississippi River. Thewarehouse is the subject of the1899 ink-and-watercolor drawing byCharles Moury. ■ Tw e n t y - t h r e e p h o t o g r a p h sdonated by Adele F. Lozes show theeffects of the 1907 Live Oak cre-vasse on the Mississippi River andthe 1909 reconstruction of thelevee in its aftermath. ■ Juliette Dubea has donated 19photographs depicting her 24-yearcareer as a designer of formal attire,from 1972 to 1996. She designedgowns for the queens of such Carnival

organizations as Athenians, Babylon,Hermes, Prophets of Persia, and Rex.

—John H. Lawrence

For the fourth quarter of 2003(October-December), there were23 manuscripts donations, totalingapproximately 12 linear feet.■ The Ursuline Convent Archives andMuseum has donated a scrapbook docu-menting the literary life of Anna ChaseDeppen (1875-1907). Born in NewOrleans, Anna Deppen was the niece ofSalmon P. Chase, chief justice of theUnited States Supreme Court. Aftermarrying, she and husband RudolfDeppen moved to Louisville, Kentucky,

CURATORIAL

12

ACQUISITIONST H E H I S T O R I C N E WORLEANS COLLECTIONencourages research in theWilliams Research Centerat 410 Chartres Streetfrom 10:00 a.m. to 4:30p.m. Tuesday through Sat-urday (except holidays).Cataloged materials avail-able to researchers includeb o o k s , m a n u s c r i p t s ,

paintings, prints, drawings, maps, photo-graphs, and artifacts about the history andculture of New Orleans, Louisiana, andthe Gulf South. While acquisitions by pur-chase have been temporarily discontinued,The Collection is pleased to report the fol-lowing notable donations. Though onlyselected gifts are mentioned here, theimportance of all gifts cannot be over-stated. Prospective donors of Louisianamaterials are invited to contact the authorsof the acquisitions columns.

MANUSCRIPTS

Mrs. Charles Thiel by Addison M. Stringer,1880s (2003.249.2)

Anna Deppen, ca. 1900 (2003.220.2)

Charles Thiel by Addison M. Stringer,1880s (2003.249.1)

where Deppen began her writing career.Her works include numerous poemspublished in newspapers and magazinesacross the country and a novel, Our Rightto Love, set in the antebellum South.“Tributes to the Martyred President,” herpoem about the death of PresidentWilliam McKinley, received significantattention. Anna Deppen died at the ageof 32 in a house fire in Brooklyn, NewYork. The scrapbook includes poemsclipped from periodicals, some manu-script drafts of poems, correspondence,and photographs. Items of particularnote include a signed letter to AnnaDeppen from William McKinley’s polit-ical organizer, Marcus Hannah, regard-ing the president’s death and a poemwith family photos attached that Deppenmade in 1901 as a Christmas gift for herfamily in New Orleans. ■ In 1940-41, the government devel-oped three Defense Exhibit Trains.Traveling throughout the country, thetrains stopped at major manufacturingcenters to exhibit equipment and partsneeded by the military for defense pur-poses. The exhibits were designed to aidmanufacturers in determining theirability to alter operations in order tofulfill the needs of the defense depart-ment. Each train was staffed with gov-ernment personnel who met with manu-facturers to discuss potential defensedepartment contracts. Colonel David I.Dodenhoff (1906-2001), a key figure inconceptualizing the trains, rode on thefirst Defense Exhibit Train, traveling fromWashington, D.C., to New Orleans.Lynne D. Segraves recently donatedDodenhoff ’s papers on the DefenseExhibit Trains which include photo-graphs, correspondence, and press releases.The collection sheds light on the militaryindustry at the dawn of World War II.

—Mark Cave

For the fourth quarter of 2003(October-December), there were 58library donations, totaling 180 items.■ The library has acquired a copy ofthe 1903 edition of The Writings ofThomas Jefferson, a particularly timelyaddition with the shift in emphasis

from the Louisiana Purchase bicenten-nia l to the bicentennia l of theLewis and Clark expedition.Considered t h e definitive compila-tion of Jefferson’s writings, the 19-volumework published by the ThomasJefferson Memorial Association recordsJefferson’s pivotal role in the expedition.Included are Jefferson’s autobiography,notes on Virginia, a parliamentarymanual, official papers, messages andaddresses, and all of the original manu-scripts deposited in the Department ofState and published in 1853 by theJoint Committee of Congress.

Although many of Jefferson’swritings are well known, the subordinatepieces of correspondence, such as a letterto Monsieur N. G. Dufief on April 19,1814, in which Jefferson states his posi-tion on the censorship of books, makesthis donation significant.

The Writings of Thomas Jefferson iscurrently being digitized and posted onthe Internet at http://www.constitu-tion.org/tj/jeff.htm.■ A copy of William Seale’s HistoricFurnishings Plan for RosedownPlantation, the master plan for therestoration of the interior of thehouse, is a welcome addition to thelibrary’s holdings related to Louisianafurniture. Located on the outskirts ofSt. Francisville, Louisiana, in WestFeliciana Parish, Rosedown was built in

1834-35 by Daniel Turnbull and is nowowned by the State of Louisiana. ■ The Marathon County HistoricalSociety in Wausau, Wisconsin, hasdonated Fascinating New Orleans, a1940s sightseeing guide that offers alook at mid-20th-century tourism.

—Gerald Patout

13

CONTINUING SUPPORTFOR THE OBITUARYINDEX PROJECT

Several years ago The Historic NewOrleans Collection and the NewOrleans Public Library embarked on acooperative venture that will providecomputer access via the Internet to theNew Orleans Public Library’sBiography and Obituary Index, anenormous paper card cataloguehoused in the Louisiana Division atthe Main Library. This file, containingapproximately 650,000 cards arrangedalphabetically, indexes obituaries inNew Orleans newspapers. To date,185,000 records have been computer-ized by THNOC project personnel.Mr. and Mrs. William K. Christovichhave made a donation to support thecomputerization of the obituary indexin memory of Suzanne Levy Ormondand Emily Stein Benjamin for theirdedication to the project.

The Dappled Shadows by Clarence Laughlin (1983.47.4.955). This photograph ofRosedown Plantation is featured in William Seale’s Historic Furnishings Plan forRosedown Plantation.

LIBRARY

EditorsLynn D. Adams, Mary C. Mees

Head of PhotographyJan White Brantley

Additional photography byKeely Merritt

The Historic New Orleans CollectionQuarterly is published by The Historic NewOrleans Collection, which is operated by the Kemper and Leila WilliamsFoundation, a Louisiana nonprofit corpora-tion. Housed in a complex of historic build-ings in the French Quarter, facilities are opento the public, Tuesday through Saturday,from 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Tours of thehistory galleries and the Williams Residenceare available for a nominal fee.

Board of DirectorsMrs. William K. Christovich, Chairman

John E. Walker, PresidentCharles Snyder Fred M. Smith

John Kallenborn

Priscilla Lawrence, Executive Director

The Historic New Orleans Collection533 Royal Street

New Orleans, Louisiana 70130(504) 523-4662

hnocinfo@hnoc.org • www.hnoc.orgISSN 0886-2109

© 2004 The Historic New Orleans Collection

14

On November 23, 2003, local families,history buffs, and tourists gatheredat The Collection to celebrate the247th birthday of Pierre ClémentLaussat, Napoleon’s colonial prefect ofLouisiana at the time of the LouisianaPurchase. Guests were treated to a table-sized birthday cake depicting a map ofthe Louisiana Purchase. Mikko, an inde-pendent historical actor, portrayed thehonored guest, Pierre Clément Laussat.Other guests included direct descendantsof William C. C. Claiborne, JamesWilkinson, Thomas Jefferson, andNapoleon’s brother, JeromeBonaparte. Characters inperiod dress from theEmpirical Society of NewOrleans mingled with theguests in the CountingHouse and taught the min-uet, the quadrille, and thewaltz—popular dances ofthe period.

Meanwhile in the courtyard, happyvoices could be heard as children partici-pated in “Rumors are Flying on theLevee,” an outreach program presentedin area schools emphasizing the cultural,ethnic, and political diversity of the pop-

ulation of New Orleans atthe time of the LouisianaPurchase. After watchingThe Louisiana PurchaseStory: Jefferson, Napoleon,and the Letter That Boughta Continent, a video co-

produced by the New Orleans Museumof Art and The Collection, childrenselected hats or headdresses and charac-ter cards describing people who lived,worked, or were visiting in New Orleansjust before the public announcement ofthe land transfer. Characters representedincluded free people of color, Ursulinenuns, cotton brokers, French officials,Spanish soldiers, restaurateurs, NewEngland merchants, Native Americans,ironworkers, and German farmers.Using a quill, each child wrote a letter toPresident Jefferson, Napoleon, or KingCarlos IV expressing the effect of thetransfer on his character and stating hisposition on the sale. One particularlyobservant child closed his letter with“your most obedient and humble ser-vant,” reminiscent of the writing styleof the day.

Teachers interested in schedulingthe “Rumors are Flying on the Levee”program may call or email SueLaudeman, curator of education, at504-598-7154 or sue@hnoc.org.

14

IN THE COMMUNITY

E d u c at i o n a l O u t r e a c h U p d at eS TA F F

The systems staff, Chuck Patch, JoséZorilla, and Carol Bartels, went toVancouver in January for a week oftraining on the Minisis DatabaseManagement system, which is beingimplemented at The Collection.

CHANGESKeely Merritt, assistant photographer.

INDEX TO THE QUARTERLY

(1995-2000)Since the printing of the index toThe Historic New Orleans CollectionQuarterly (1983-1994), the Quarterlyhas continued to acquaint the publicwith the holdings and activities ofTHNOC and to provide informationabout the history of the region.The supplement to the original index isavailable at the Shop for $3.00.

PIERRE CLÉMENT LAUSSAT’S BIRTHDAY PARTY

15

AT THE COLLECTION

For those wanting further informationon the history of jazz in New Orleansafter reading Jason Wiese’s article, thefollowing publications from TheCollection are available in the Shop.

Jazz Scrapbook, published in 1998,offers cameo portraits of Jelly RollMorton, Louis Armstrong, BunkJohnson, Mahalia Jackson, Baby Dodds,Natty Dominique, and Fess Manetta—aroll call of early jazz greats, all born inNew Orleans. The period photographs,drawn from the William Russell JazzCollection at THNOC, give an intimate,backstage view of the jazz world.

Music in the Street, the catalog fromthe exhibition held at The Collection in1983, traces the jazz culture in the

Crescent City through the photogra-phy of Ralston Crawford. Featuring 35photographs from the holdings of theWilliam Ransom Hogan Jazz Archiveof Tulane University and The HistoricNew Orleans Collection, Music in theStreet records the various aspects andcharacter of New Orleans jazz.

As described in John Lawrence’sarticle on the visual arts in NewOrleans, the Newcomb Art Schoolpottery program gave a sense ofidentity to the school and its students,while it “extended the image of theLouisiana landscape into objects ofeveryday use.” The Shop is offering areproduction of vase with pomegranatesin a limited, numbered edition of 50.

United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia visited TheCollection in December 2003. Pictured above are John E. Walker,Martha Walker, John Magill, and Justice Scalia.

Mercedes González Amezúa, curator of the RealAcademia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, presentedan illustrated lecture on the visual arts of Spain inthe last half of the 18th century at the inauguralFrancisco Bouligny lecture in November 2003. Thelecture was sponsored by Gene Daymude Fine Arts.Pictured above are Mercedes González Amezúa,Priscilla Lawrence, Ted Martin, and Gene Daymude.

Rex Ziak, pictured above, spoke aboutthe final month of the Lewis and Clarkexpedition and signed his book, In FullView: A True and Accurate Account ofLewis and Clark’s Arrival at the PacificOcean, at The Collection in December2003. Support for the event wasprovided by the Louisiana Departmentof Culture, Recreation and Tourism:Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial.Pictured left are John E. Walker, Rex Ziak,Penny Edwards, and Marion Edwards.

PLEASE SEND

Quantity Amount

_____ Jazz Scrapbook, $9.95 _____

_____ Music in the Street, $10 _____

_____ Reproduction of vase with pomegranates, $200 _____

_____ From Louis XIV to Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Tapestry, $35 _____

_____ Index to the Quarterly, $3.00 _____

Taxes as applicable

9% Orleans Parish _____4% other La. residents _____

Subtotal _____

Shipping and Handling

Jazz Scrapbook, $4 _____

Music in the Street, $4 _____

Vase, $10 _____

From Louis XIV to Louis Armstrong, $4 _____

Index, $1.50 _____

Total Amount Due _____

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Address___________________________________

City, State, Zip_____________________________

Telephone_________________________________

THE SHOP For Jazz and Art Lovers

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Signature _________________________________

KEMPER AND LEILA WILLIAMS FOUNDATIONTHE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTIONMuseum • Research Center • Publisher533 Royal StreetNew Orleans, Louisiana 70130(504) 523-4662Visit the Collection on the Internet at www.hnoc.orgADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

SYMPOSIUM

RETRACES THE

EXPLORATION AND

SETTLEMENT OF

THE LOUISIANA

TERRITORY

Speakers at the January 31stsymposium, Charting Louisiana:Exploration and Settlement, clockwise,John H. Lawrence, Jay Gitlin, andMichael Sartisky; John L. Allenand John R. Hébert; DouglasBrinkley (with Kathy Slimp)