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VOLUME X X XII

NUMBER 1

WINTER 2015

The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly

THE URSULINE MANUSCRIPT : Spiritual Songbook

D The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly

CREOLE CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOURSTour THNOC’s Williams Residence and other historic French Quarter house museums, festively decked out for the season, as part of the Friends of the Cabildo’s annual holiday home tour.

December 27–28, 2014, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

718 Toulouse Street

Tickets are available through Friends of the Cabildo, (504) 523-3939.

POP-UP BRITISH CONSUL ATEStop in for tea and say hello to the staff of the British Consulate General in Houston, as they present their first pop-up consulate.

January 6–9, 2014, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

533 Royal Street

Free

WILLIAMS RESEARCH CENTER SYMPOSIUMSee more about the symposium on page 12.

January 23–24, 2015

Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal Street

To register, visit www.hnoc.org /programs/symposia.html or call (504) 523-4662.

MUSICAL LOUISIANA: AMERICA’S CULTUR AL HERITAGE For their ninth annual concert collaboration, The Collection and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra will present “New Orleans and the Spanish World,” a program celebrating the rich cultural and musical relations between Spain and Louisiana.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 7:30 p.m.

St. Louis Cathedral, 615 Pere Antoine Alley

Free

PURCHASED LIVES TEACHER WORKSHOPThe Collection invites teachers to participate in a free workshop presented by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and THNOC.

Saturday, March 7, 2015, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street

Please email Daphne L. Derven, [email protected], to register for the teacher/educator mailing list and to receive more information about this event.

THE IRISH IN NEW ORLEANS LECTURE AND BOOK SIGNINGHistorian Laura D. Kelley, author of a new book about the historical and cultural legacy of Ireland in New Orleans, will present a lecture, with a book signing to follow.

Saturday, March 7, 2015, 6–8 p.m.

533 Royal Street

Free

PURCHASED LIVES OPENING RECEPTIONJoin The Collection and Curator Erin M. Greenwald for the opening of THNOC’s newest exhibition, Purchased Lives: New Orleans and the Domestic Slave Trade, 1808–1865.

Friday, March 20, 2015, 6–8 p.m.


Free

TO BE SOLD DOMESTIC SL AVE TR ADE SYMPOSIUMSee more about the symposium on page 11.

Saturday, March 21, 2015, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Williams Research Center,

410 Chartres Street

Free; registration required

To reserve a seat for the program in New Orleans, contact THNOC at (504)523-4662 or email [email protected].

E X H I B I T I O N S & T O U R S

CURRENTAndrew Jackson: Hero of New OrleansThrough March 29, 2015

Williams Gallery, 533 Royal Street

Free

Studio, Street, Self: Photographic Portraits from THNOCPresented in conjunction with PhotoNOLA 2014

Through February 28, 2015

Boyd Cruise Gallery, 410 Chartres Street

Free

MirrorFugue: Reflections of New Orleans PianistsPresented in conjunction with Prospect.3+ and made possible by Phyllis M. Taylor

Through December 20

Laura Simon Nelson Galleries for Louisiana Art, 400 Chartres Street

Free

PERMANENTLouisiana History Galleries

533 Royal Street

Tuesday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Free

The Williams Residence Tour

THNOC Architectural Tour

533 Royal Street

Tuesday–Saturday, 10 and 11 a.m., 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m., 2 and 3 p.m

$5 per person

Groups of eight or more should call (504) 598-7145 for reservations or visit www.hnoc.org.

UPCOMINGWilliams Residence Holiday Home and Courtyard Tour

533 Royal Street

Through December 29, 2014

Tuesday–Saturday, 10 and 11 a.m., 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m., 2 and 3 p.m.

$5 per person; free for THNOC members

THNOC is closed December 24–25.

Recent Acquisitions in Louisiana Art, 2010–2014

January 10–May 2, 2015


Free

Purchased Lives: New Orleans and the Domestic Slave Trade, 1808–1865

March 17–July 18, 2015Boyd Cruise Gallery, 410 Chartres StreetFree

GENER AL HOURS533 Royal Street

Williams Gallery, Louisiana History Galleries, Shop, and Tours

Tuesday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

400 and 410 Chartres Street

Williams Research Center, Boyd Cruise Gallery, and Laura Simon Nelson Galleries for Louisiana Art

Tuesday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

E V E N T C A L E N D A R

F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R

History is often thought of as a one-way street, with narratives and facts presented to the public without room for discussion. But ask any history lover, scholar, or museum professional, and you’ll learn that collaboration and colloquy are treasured, essential components of the history-making process.

Every year, THNOC hosts the Williams Research Center Symposium, which brings together our curators, our audience, and history experts from around the country to discuss the finer points and complexities of New Orleans and Gulf South history. This promises to be a banner year for the event as we continue to commemorate the bicentennial of the Battle of New Orleans. Those interested in the far-reaching history of the War of 1812 and of Andrew Jackson’s impact on this nation will have much to discuss throughout the two-day symposium, which accompanies the current exhibition Andrew Jackson: Hero of New Orleans.

Then, in March, The Collection will cohost a daylong symposium on the domestic slave trade. Presented in collaboration with the Library of Virginia, based in Richmond, this exciting day of thoughtful discussion will help to launch THNOC’s exhibition Purchased Lives: New Orleans and the Domestic Slave Trade, 1808–1865. We are honored to be fostering public dialogue on historical issues that continue to impact our region.

In other news, I am delighted to congratulate Alfred E. Lemmon, director of the Williams Research Center, on his recent induction into the Orden de Isabel la Católica (Order of Isabella the Catholic), a Spanish royal order honoring those who have contributed greatly to furthering friendship and cooperation between Spain and the international community. Lemmon and The Collection will be surveying New Orleans’s Spanish ties at our upcoming concert with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. With this and all of our events, we hope to engage our audience in the history we all share. —PRISCILLA LAWRENCE

C O N T E N T S

O N V I E W / 2

THNOC trains its lens on photographic portraiture.

Recent acquisitions in Louisiana art get a showcase.

A one-of-a-kind musical installation takes up residence.

Off-Site

B O O K S / 8

Louisiana’s oldest known musical artifact becomes a book.

E V E N T S / 11

THNOC examines the history of the domestic slave trade.

The 2015 WRC Symposium honors the bicentennial of the Battle of New Orleans.

C O M M U N I T Y / 14

On the Job

Staff News

Become a Member

On the Scene

Focus on Philanthropy

Donors

A C Q U I S I T I O N S / 21

Acquisition Spotlight

Recent Additions

ON THE COVER:“Le soleil heraut de sa gloire” (The herald sun of his glory) from the Ursuline manuscript copy of Nouvelles poésies spirituelles et morales1736; manuscript sheet music98-001-RL.58.

2 The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly

EXHIBITION

Studio, Street, Self: Photographic Portraits from The Historic New Orleans Collection

Through February 28, 2015

Boyd Cruise Gallery, 410 Chartres Street

Free

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O N V I E W

Whether the purpose was documentary or expressive, capturing a human likeness with the camera has been a longstanding role of photography. A portrait is a collaboration between subject and photographer, one modulated by the circumstances of the setting. Each vari-able helps to shape the final product, giving even the most similar-looking portraits a humanity as individual as their subjects. Studio, Street, Self: Photographic Portraits from The Historic New Orleans Collection, now on view at the Williams Research Center’s Boyd Cruise Gallery in conjunction with the citywide photography festival PhotoNOLA, offers an expansive view of portrait photography as it has existed in New Orleans and its environs for more than 175 years.

The exhibition includes photographs made both in formal studio settings and out in the street, as well as self-portraits. A photographer’s studio offers the greatest control over the setting and was a mainstay of early photographic practice, especially once more refined lenses and chemistry afforded an exposure time that did not exceed the sitter’s ability to stay still. The early studios’ posing chairs, props, and skylights later yielded to seamless backgrounds and an arsenal of specialized lighting equipment.

Street settings add an element of chance, from serendipitous juxtapositions of subject and background to effects of light and shadow. In street photographs, the skills of the artist intersect with surroundings that are presented rather than wholly selected. Self-portraits are a different breed of photographic portrait, embodying an implicit process of introspec-tion—and perhaps an element of vanity. Such portraits often literally hold a mirror up to the subject, sometimes incorporating partially transparent or distorted reflections. Many

About FaceThe Collection’s newest exhibition, presented in conjunction with PhotoNOLA 2014, traces 175 years of photographic portraiture.

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A. Idelle Gatling, Gospel Singer, New Orleans1971; gelatin silver printby Luke Fontana© Luke Fontana, 2009.0088.3

B. Everette Maddoxca. 1982; gelatin silver printby Dale Milfordgift of Ralph Adamo, Henry Lee Staples, and William S. Maddox, 94-19-L.1

C. Alice Aldige, holding Elizabeth Eustis, detail1913; matte collodion printby Eugene O’Connorgift of Elizabeth Eustis, 1987.45.17

D. Reverend Scie, Greater Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Holy Cross2011; photoprintby Stephen Wilkesgift of Stephen and Bette Wilkes, 2011.0195.24

E. Johnny Donnels in his studioca. 1990; chromogenic Type C printgift of Joan T. Donnels, 2010.0068.3.1

F. Constance Reynolds Green and brother Jack M. Green1953; gelatin silver printgift of Joe Wilkins, 2013.0294

photographers have found the shadow self-portrait an intriguing and expressive form; others have used a remote means of triggering the exposure, such as a timer, once they have assumed a pose.

In an age of endless photo streams and selfies, accessible from one’s pocket and disseminated with the tap of a finger, Studio, Street, Self honors a more deliberate pace of documentation, inviting viewers to study the lives and artistry behind the faces in photographs. —JOHN H. LAWRENCE

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The Historic New Orleans Collection is celebrating four years of recent acquisitions and two years of its newest exhibition space, the Laura Simon Nelson Galleries, with an exhibition of Louisiana art spanning two centuries and featuring more than 50 artworks, including paintings and decorative-arts pieces. The earliest paintings date to the 1790s, and the most recent to 2003, so the show in its entirety displays major artis-tic trends from the past 200 years. Paintings include rural landscapes and city scenes, dock scenes, still lifes, genre scenes, and both full-size and miniature portraits. Among the well-known artists showcased are Jacques Amans, Charles Bird King, François Bernard, George Peter Alexander Healy, William Henry Buck, Joseph Jefferson, Joseph Rusling Meeker, Paul Poincy, Ellsworth Woodward, William Woodward, Paul Ninas, Leonard Flettrich, Wayman Adams, Clarence Millet, Douglas Bourgeois, Simon Gunning, and William Tolliver. Together the works display the rich fabric of the cultural history of Louisiana. —JUDITH H. BONNER

O N V I E W

Fresh FindsThe Laura Simon Nelson Galleries turn two years old and celebrate with the opening of Recent Acquisitions in Louisiana Art, 2010–2014.

EXHIBITION

Recent Acquisitions in Louisiana Art, 2010–2014

January 10–May 2, 2015


Free

A. Cotton Pickers in the Fieldbetween 1983 and 1990; oil and oil pastel on Masoniteby William Tolliver, painteracquisition made possible by the Boyd Cruise Fund, 2010.0097.1

B. Playground—New Orleansbetween 1939 and 1943; oil on canvasby Clarence Millet, painter2011.0236

C. Commodore John Dandridge Henleybetween 1853 and 1858; oil on canvasby Charles Bird King, attributed painter, after an original by John Wesley Jarvis2013.0358.6

D. Portrait of Nell Pomeroy O’Brienca. 1938; oil on canvasby Louis F. Raynaud, painter 2014.0221

E. Sardines2003; oil on canvasby Simon Gunning, paintergift of John and Dorothy Clemmer, 2013.0156.1

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Play Her PianoIn a satellite exhibition of the art biennial Prospect.3, an installation by New Orleans artist Xiao Xiao brings contemporary art and musical magic to The Collection.

For the first time since opening in 2012, The Collection’s Laura Simon Nelson Galleries for Louisiana Art will host a multimedia installation, one that combines music, art, and technology into one invitingly interactive experience. For 10 days this December, New Orleans artist Xiao Xiao will present MirrorFugue: Reflections of New Orleans Pianists, an installation centered on a player piano outfitted with a screen and projector. A satellite exhibition of the New Orleans art biennial Prospect.3, MirrorFugue features the music of legendary pianists Jon Cleary and Allen Toussaint, preserved digitally on the player piano, as well as video projections of Cleary and Toussaint at rest and in performance. The piano will play the recorded performances, and the projections of the musicians will appear on the instrument as ghostly reflections, merging past and present into one musical moment.

Xiao Xiao, who is currently working toward a doctoral degree at the Tangible Media Group of MIT’s Media Lab, was inspired by the changing nature of musical consumption and performance in the 21st century. Xiao Xiao has worked to understand these changes and present new, interactive, and emotionally resonant avenues for enjoying music, while simultaneously exploring and expanding audiences’ interactions with computers.

“These days, we think of music in its purest form as distilled, disembodied sound,” said Xiao Xiao, “but historically music could only have been experienced live, channeled through the bodies of performers, felt in the bodies of audiences.”

O N V I E W

EXHIBITION

MirrorFugue: Ref lections of New Orleans Pianists

Presented in conjunction with Prospect.3+ and made possible by Phyllis M. Taylor

Through December 20


Free

A. Xiao XiaoB. Allen ToussaintC. Jon Cleary All images courtesy of JonGunnar Gylfason

MirrorFugue—which takes its name from a baroque contrapuntal form that mirrors itself, like a palindrome—allows viewers multiple angles for experiencing the installation. For Xiao Xiao, the “VIP seat” is the piano bench. Here a visitor can sit and watch a piece of music being performed—not only through the movement of the player piano keys but also through the superimposed image of the musician. For the brave, Xiao Xiao suggests playing a duet with Allen Toussaint or following the fingers and hands of Jon Cleary as he moves through classics of the New Orleans canon. In addition to Toussaint and Cleary, pianists Ron Markham and Nick Sanders also recorded for MirrorFugue and will take their virtual turns at the piano over the course of the installation. This exhibition marks both Xiao Xiao’s and the piece’s hometown premiere.

“Xiao Xiao’s work provides an outstanding opportunity to once again participate in the Prospect New Orleans biennial while showcasing the Laura Simon Nelson Galleries for Louisiana Art as a prime venue for the exhibition of art in the French Quarter,” said THNOC Deputy Director Daniel Hammer. “Xiao Xiao’s installation beautifully marries that goal with another of THNOC’s missions, to preserve and present aspects of the city’s musical heritage.” —ERIC SEIFERTH

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OFF-SITE

Coastal Woodwards Go Inland The following are holdings that have appeared outside The Collection, either on loan to other institutions or reproduced in noteworthy media projects.

The Collection loaned 15 items to the Alexandria Museum of Art for the upcoming exhibition Ellsworth and William Woodward: Impressions of the Southland, on view March 6–May 23, 2015.

Reference Assistant Matt Farah assisted Pat O’Brien’s and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau in developing a signature cocktail to commemorate the Battle of New Orleans bicentennial. The drink, called the Battle Crye, is a riff on the Roffignac, a classic cocktail that Farah helped the mixologists find in Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em, a 1934 book by Stanley Clisby Arthur. The Battle Crye debuted at the legendary French Quarter bar in October and will be available through 2015.

Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em by Stanley Clisby ArthurNew Orleans: Harmanson, 1937gift of Ralph M. Pons, 76-1172-RL.1

The Ellender Memorial Library at Nicholls State University reproduced more than 50 images from The Collection for the library’s upcoming exhibition Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863, and the March on Washington, 1963. The exhibition is part of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES).

School integration Christmas cards and letters1960gift of Leona Washington, 90-76-L

Ocean Springs, Miss.1890; oil on canvasby William Woodward, paintergift of Laura Simon Nelson, 2005.0350.4

Grand Isle1911; watercolor on paperby Ellsworth Woodward, painterLaura Simon Nelson Collection, n101109.1.22

The Old State Capitol Museum in Baton Rouge has a new exhibition, Etiquette and the History of Social Stationery, on view through December 20, featuring 30 objects on loan from The Collection.

Adele McCall calling card1886; satin ribbon on card94-359-RL

One item from The Collection will be exhibited at the Cabildo by the Louisiana State Museum for its upcoming exhibition “Dirty Shirts” to Buccaneers: The Battle of New Orleans in American Culture, which will run from January 9, 2015, to January 8, 2016.

Certificate from the Grand Army of the Republic proclaiming Jordan Noble to be a veteran of good character1880 59-12-L.2

Senior Curator/Oral Historian Mark Cave has been working with WWNO-FM to create a series of radio segments based on interview excerpts from the New Orleans Life Story Project. The series, NOLA Life Stories, debuted in April and has featured notable New Orleanians such as Leona Tate, one of the grade-school girls who first integrated New Orleans public schools, in 1960; John Mecom Jr., the first owner of the New Orleans Saints; and K&B drugstore owner, Sydney Besthoff.

Oral history interview with Leona Tate2012conducted by Mark Cave, THNOC oral historiangift of Leona Tate, 2013.0050


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In 1754, the Ursuline nuns of New Orleans received a gift from France: a manuscript copy of the popular music volume Nouvelles poésies spirituelles et morales (New spiritual and moral poetry). The so-called Ursuline manuscript, copied by hand and illustrated in 1736, is the oldest known musical document in Louisiana history, and now, The Historic New Orleans Collection is proud to present it in book form for the first time. In November THNOC released French Baroque Music of New Orleans: Spiritual Songs from the Ursuline Convent (1736), edited by Alfred E. Lemmon, director of the Williams Research Center. It features a full-color facsimile of the Ursuline manuscript, accompanied by in-depth scholarly essays in English and French, making it the first THNOC title classified as both a book and a musical score.

The manuscript came to The Collection in 1998, when THNOC acquired the vast archives of the Ursuline convent and school, which date to the city’s earliest days. The tidy volume, its dimensions no bigger than a sheet of paper, sits on permanent display in the Louisiana History Galleries. As Lemmon writes in his essay for French Baroque Music of New Orleans, scant evidence remains of musical activity from early New Orleans, and what little there is refers mostly to military proceedings and musicians employed at St. Louis Cathedral. The city’s first opera house eventually brought European music to a wide audi-ence, but not until 1796, making the Ursuline manuscript “an important record of the early reach of European music in the New World,” Lemmon writes. “[It] provides strong docu-mentary evidence of the musical environment of the young colony.”

Sacred Parody The manuscript started its journey in 1730 Paris. There, a group of music publishers based in the Latin Quarter “decided to publish a volume of contrafacta—spiritual texts set to fashionable tunes by the most famous composers of the last half century,” writes Jean Duron, whose French introduction to French Baroque Music of New Orleans is summarized in English in the volume. “They were intended to ‘peuvent plaire indifferemment à tout le monde’ (be enjoyed by everybody), especially virtuous young ladies, nuns, and missionaries.”

The practice of retrofitting popular music with moral lessons and spiritual, rather than secular, lyrics was called sacred parody, and it was part of a broader trend in western Europe throughout the early to mid-18th century. Unlike the modern conception of “parody,” this kind of parody was not intended to be humorous: instead, the word implied an appro-priation of existing music for a new textual usage. Sacred parodies had been common in Renaissance music; a “parody mass” recycled music from an earlier use and set it to relevant texts according to the Christian calendar. The definition of “parody” would begin to shift toward the comedic later in the 18th century, but the concept remained the same: take an existing piece of music and fuse it with new poetic elements.

The target audience for the contrafacta were people of piety, such as the Ursuline nuns and missionaries; children, such as the nuns’ boarding students in New Orleans; and, especially in Europe, upper-class women. As Mark McKnight writes in his essay for French

French Baroque Music of New Orleans: Songs from the Ursuline Convent (1736)

Musique française baroque à la Nouvelle-Orléans: Recueil d’airs spirituels des Ursulines (1736)

edited by Alfred E. Lemmon, with essays in English by Jennifer Gipson, Andrew Justice, Alfred E. Lemmon, and Mark McKnight and in French by Jean Duron

The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2014

$110, softcover, 296 pages, 255-page full-color facsimile

ISBN:978-0-917860-65-2ISMN:979-0-800031-00-7

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Putting on AirsTHNOC’s newest book revives a 278-year-old collection of spiritual songs, bringing the music of early French Louisiana to life.

Winter 2015 9

Baroque Music of New Orleans, in prerevolutionary France, popular opinion held that aris-tocratic women “were prone to leading frivolous lives or engaging in immoral behavior.” Changing the lyrics took the “danger” out of the songs, while the melodies preserved an element of pleasure. Using popular tunes as a hook, contrafacta could serve as “a power-ful tool for the edification of the faithful,” writes Jennifer Gipson, whose essay in the book focuses on the songs’ lyrical transformations from secular to sacred.

Making the ManuscriptThe contrafacta were first published in 1730, with the full title Nouvelles poésies spirituelles et morales sur les plus beaux airs de la musique françoise et italienne avec la basse (New spiri-tual and moral poetry set to the most beautiful French and Italian airs with figured bass). The collection proved successful, and subsequent printings included additional recueils (volumes) of songs, with the final edition, published in 1737, featuring eight volumes. Sometime during Lent 1736, the copyist of the Ursuline manuscript, a female scribe known only as C.D., transcribed the first four volumes. As was the custom, she added creative flourishes to the manuscript, including illustrations around the song titles and in the margins. In 1754, a mysterious donor, known only as Monsieur Nicollet, sent the manuscript version of Nouvelles poésies to the Ursuline nuns in New Orleans, where it has remained ever since.

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A. Endpaper from the Ursuline manuscript copy of Nouvelles poésies spirituelles et morales1736; manuscript sheet music98-001-RL.58

B. “Amour de Dieu” (God’s love)from the Ursuline manuscript copy of Nouvelles poésies spirituelles et morales1736; manuscript sheet music98-001-RL.58


In all published versions of Nouvelles poésies, as well as in the Ursuline manu-script, each volume is divided into five categories: Praises of God; Mysteries of Our Lord, Jesus Christ; Virtues; Vices; and the Four Ends of Man. A table of contents is appended at the end of each volume, and the copyist took it upon herself to highlight in red ink all the chansons morales (moral songs). These moral songs were often light and pleasurable, “useful for certain ‘occasions when the others might seem perhaps too serious,’” Gipson writes in her essay, quoting from the original preface of Nouvelles poésies spirituelles et morales, which C.D. included in her transcription. “The combi-nation of pleasure and utility is key,” Gipson explains, “for the qualification ‘moral’ does not indicate a more pious text. In 18th-century lexicon, ‘moral’ could refer to the investigation of human nature.”

The tables of contents also credit the composers of the melodies, making the lists a who’s who of the French and Italian baroque (1600–1750), including François Couperin, Jean-Baptiste Lully, and Louis-Nicolas Clérambault. In the manuscript’s preface, Clérambault is credited with setting the figured bass (a single bass-clef note with numeri-cal symbols indicating how it should be played, much like today’s chord charts and lead sheets). Source material for the melodies includes André Campra’s 1714 cantata Silène and the André Campra–Henry Desmarest collaboration Iphigénie en Tauride (1704).

French Baroque Music of New Orleans is intended to serve researchers, performers, and lovers of baroque music and colonial Louisiana history. The Ursuline manuscript’s 294 musical works are reproduced in a beautiful full-color, full-size facsimile, and the accompanying essays—four in English with French summaries and one in French with an English summary—illuminate the object’s poetic, musical, historical, and biblio-graphic contexts. A suggested compendium to the volume is Le Concert Lorrain’s 2001 recording of selections from the Ursuline manuscript, Manuscrit des Ursulines de la Nouvelle-Orléans: Baroque Music in New Orleans, which is available at The Shop at The Collection. Listening to the ensemble’s crystalline voices and following along with the original score, one can imagine the Ursuline nuns and their students singing both for God and for pleasure, in a young city whose musical history was just beginning. —MOLLY REID

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C. “La Colère” (Anger)from the Ursuline manuscript copy of Nouvelles poésies spirituelles et morales1736; manuscript sheet music98-001-RL.58

D. Frontispiece, third volumefrom the Ursuline manuscript copy of Nouvelles poésies spirituelles et morales1736; manuscript sheet music98-001-RL.58

E. Table of contents, fourth volumefrom the Ursuline manuscript copy of Nouvelles poésies spirituelles et morales1736; manuscript sheet music98-001-RL.58

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The New Orleans panelists include Edward E. Baptist, Cornell University; Stephanie Jones-Rogers, University of California–Berkeley; Lawrence N. Powell, Tulane University; and Adam Rothman, Georgetown University. Walter Johnson of Harvard University will serve as the moderator in New Orleans.

Thanks to funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, participants will be able to attend the event free of charge. Due to limited seating, registration is required. Overflow seating at the New Orleans program will be available at the Louisiana Supreme Court, 400 Royal Street.

Both the Library of Virginia and The Historic New Orleans Collection will have exhibitions exploring the topic of the domestic slave trade. LVA’s display, To Be Sold, opened October 27 and will remain on view through May 30, 2015. THNOC’s exhibition Purchased Lives: New Orleans and the Domestic Slave Trade, 1808–1865, opens March 17, 2015, and will remain on view through July 18. —TERESA DEVLIN

To Be SoldIn a first-time collaboration with the Library of Virginia, The Collection will cohost a daylong, simulcast symposium about the domestic slave trade.

In 1808, America abolished the international slave trade, ending the export of people from the African continent to the Americas, but the domestic slave trade—the buying and selling of human chattel within the US—continued until the close of the Civil War, in 1865. During this 57-year period, an estimated 750,000 enslaved men, women, and children were forcibly moved from the upper to the lower South.

In the spring of 2015, The Historic New Orleans Collection will join the Library of Virginia, based in Richmond, and the Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies at the University of New Orleans to explore this topic through two exhibitions and a unique collaborative symposium. “To Be Sold: The American Slave Trade from Virginia to New Orleans” will take place in both Richmond and New Orleans, on Saturday, March 21, 2015. Morning sessions will be held in Richmond and simulcast in New Orleans, while afternoon sessions will be held in New Orleans at THNOC’s Williams Research Center and simulcast in Richmond. Participants at both locations will be able to engage in live discussions with attendees and presenters at both sites.

The day will include a series of panel discussions with experts from across the coun-try, as well as two keynote presentations, one in New Orleans and one in Richmond. The Richmond panelists include Charles B. Dew, Williams College; Alexandra Finley, doctoral candidate from the College of William and Mary; Robert Nelson, University of Richmond; Scott Nesbit, University of Richmond; Calvin Schermerhorn, Arizona State University; and Phillip Troutman, George Washington University. Maurie McInnis of the University of Virginia and curator of the exhibition at the Library of Virginia will moderate the talks there.

SYMPOSIUM

To Be Sold: The American Slave Trade from Virginia to New Orleans

Saturday, March 21, 2015


Free; registration required

To reserve a seat, contact THNOC at (504) 523-4662 or email [email protected].

Sale of Estates, Pictures and Slaves in the Rotunda, New Orleans from The Slave States of America1842; engraving with watercolorby William Henry Brooke, engraver1974.25.23.4

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A Battle’s BirthdayAs the Battle of New Orleans turns 200, the Williams Research Center Symposium prepares to survey the War of 1812’s impact, then and now.

On the occasion of the bicentennial of its culminating battle, The Historic New Orleans Collection is excited to revisit the War of 1812, which pitted a young American repub-lic against the established military might of Great Britain. On Friday, January 23, and Saturday, January 24, The Collection will explore the war’s impact on the Gulf South and Louisiana during the 20th annual Williams Research Center Symposium, titled “Forgotten Conflicts: Indians, Andrew Jackson, and the War of 1812 in the South.” A keynote lecture on Friday evening will explore the life and career of Andrew Jackson. Among the subjects to be addressed at the all-day program on Saturday are the Creek War of 1813–14, the experiences of women and people of color during the War of 1812, the British perspective on the Gulf campaign, and the famous Battle of New Orleans.

Though not well known in today’s mainstream culture, the battle and General Jackson were favorite subjects of historians, storytellers, and artists through much of the 19th century, when the anniversary of Jackson’s conclusive victory on January 8, 1815, was celebrated throughout the United States as a patriotic holiday. The mechanisms of cultural memory are especially evident in early printed illustrations of the battle. Some artists relied on secondhand accounts of the clash between British and American troops at Chalmette, below New Orleans. As a result, erroneous details—such as an American defensive rampart constructed entirely of cotton bales—were conveyed to a mass audience that was unable to judge the accuracy of the presentation. John Landis’s 1840 lithograph Battle of New Orleans is an excellent example of a popular and dramatic view that perpetuated misconceptions about the battle and its participants.

One of the earliest views of the Battle of New Orleans, produced by an artist who witnessed it firsthand, is an 1818 aquatint engraving that was produced in France by artist Jean-Hyacinthe Laclotte (1765–1828) and engraver Philibert-Louis Debucourt (1755–1832). Laclotte was a French architect, engineer, and painter active in New Orleans between 1807 and 1815. In 1810, Laclotte partnered with fellow engineer and architect Arsène Lacarrière

SYMPOSIUM

20th Annual Williams Research Center Symposium“Forgotten Conflicts: Indians, Andrew Jackson, and the War of 1812 in the South”

January 23–24, 2015

Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal Street

To register, visit www.hnoc.org/programs /symposia.html or call (504) 523-4662.

E V E N T S

A

Speakers and Topics

Andrew Jackson: Hero or Despot?Matthew Warshauer Central Connecticut State University

The Battle of New Orleans and American IdentityJason WieseThe Historic New Orleans Collection

The Creek WarKathryn BraundAuburn University

The Slaves’ Gamble for Freedom: Choosing Sides during the Battle of New OrleansGene Allen SmithTexas Christian University

A Battle Too Far? Britain, the War of 1812, and the Gulf CoastAndrew LambertKing’s College, London

Women and the Battle of New OrleansPatricia Brady Independent scholar

Beauty and Booty: Myths of the Battle of New OrleansDonald R. Hickey Wayne State College

For additional information call (504) 523-4662 or visit www.hnoc.org.

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Latour (1778–1837), who would later serve as Jackson’s chief engineer during the Battle of New Orleans. Laclotte volunteered as an engineer in the Louisiana Militia, and was apparently able to make sketches of the battle while it was in progress on the morning of January 8, 1815. Laclotte later created a painting based on his sketches; the original is in the collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art. In 1815 or 1816, recognizing the public demand for views of the famous battle, Laclotte made a detailed drawing of his painting to serve as a reference for a skilled engraver. He proceeded to Paris and commissioned Debucourt to engrave the print-ing plate. After a series of delays, Laclotte returned to the United States early in 1818 with the plate and copies of the engraving, printed in France and destined for an eager American audience.

The title of Laclotte’s view—Defeat of the British Army, 12,000 Strong, under the Command of Sir Edward Packenham . . . —printed in English and French, emphasizes the American rout of the larger British force led by Major General Sir Edward Pakenham. Perhaps this was a jab by a patriotic Frenchman at the British army, which had recently vanquished Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo. Whatever the case, Laclotte provides the viewer with a great deal of information about the Battle of New Orleans, including the disposition of Jackson’s active troops and reserves behind the defensive American breastwork along the Rodriguez Canal, as well as the positions of the attacking British troops and artillery batteries. Debris, including entire trees, can be seen floating down the Mississippi River in the foreground, near which British troops overrun an advanced American redoubt on Jackson’s riverside flank. The outcome of the battle, as frozen in this moment, is still very much undecided.

One curious detail of this print can be seen in the lower left corner, near a collection of boats anchored in the river. Two shirtless men of color are wading in the river, in water up to their chests, and their arms are outstretched as if beseeching the oncoming British troops for aid. The lack of clothing suggests they may be intended to represent slaves; three addi-tional men of color stand a short distance away, gesturing either toward the men in the river or the battle raging nearby. These minute details, hardly noticeable in the larger scene, may be Laclotte’s subtle reference to the fears of New Orleans’s civil and military establishment that British agents intended to incite the local enslaved population to rise up against their American masters.

Landis’s and Laclotte’s printed views of the Battle of New Orleans—and many others from diverse artists and publishers—can be studied up close at the Williams Research Center, and anyone interested in the battle is invited to join in celebrating its bicentennial at the WRC symposium. —JASON WIESE

A. Battle of New Orleans1840; hand-colored lithographby John Landis, draftsman 1950.25

B. Defeat of the British Army, 12,000 Strong, under the Command of Sir Edward Packenham . . .1818; aquatint engraving with watercolorby Jean-Hyacinthe Laclotte, artist; Philibert-Louis Debucourt, engraverbequest of Boyd Cruise and Harold Schilke, 1989.79.135

C. Detail, lower left corner, Defeat of the British Army . . .

B

C


C O M M U N I T Y

ON THE JOB

Jennifer RebuckPOSITION: Associate registrar, on staff since 2010

ASSIGNMENT: Accession a donation into The Collection’s holdings

When the exhibition Recent Acquisitions in Louisiana Art, 2010–2014 debuts this January, it will feature a silver tilting water service manufactured by Meriden Britannia Company. The set was offered for donation in the spring by Collection enthusiasts John and Polly Hernandez. John Hernandez inherited the service from his grandparents, Adima and Laura Blanchard, who received it as a wedding gift in 1898. The water service includes a porcelain-lined pitcher inscribed “B / Jan 26, ’98,” two water goblets with “B” monogram and acanthus design, a drip pan, and a stand. It is called a “tilting” service because the pitcher hangs in the stand. The service was approved by our acquisitions committee and board of directors, clearing the way for the object to be acquired. But before the service could formally join our holdings at The Collection, it had to complete its journey from the Hernandezes’ private collection, in Baton Rouge, to our institutional one.

Every year THNOC accepts thousands of items into its ever-growing permanent collection. As one of the associate regis-trars on staff, my job entails accessioning and processing the curatorial items donated or purchased into our holdings. In 2013 The Collection received 133 curatorial donations or purchases compris-ing over 6,000 items, many of which I had a hand in processing. Curatorial

objects—defined as paintings, textiles, prints, drawings, and three-dimensional objects, such as furniture, silver, and ceramics—make up one of the main divisions of our holdings, the other two being manuscripts and library items. The Collection’s curators propose items to accession to the acquisitions committee in a monthly report, including a summary of why these works are historically or artisti-cally important. In the case of the water service, our curators were interested in its legacy as a wedding gift, because it repre-sents the union of two important Louisiana families, the Blanchards and the Truxillos, both of whom owned several plantations in Assumption Parish. In addition, the Connecticut-based Meriden Britannia Company was a major producer of silver-plated wares throughout the 19th century.

Once an acquisition is approved, acces-sioning it begins with physically acquiring the piece and then transferring legal title, or formal ownership, to the museum. Since the Hernandezes were unable to bring the service to New Orleans, we used our climate-controlled van to safely transport the service to The Collection. I accompa-nied our new curator of decorative arts, Lydia Blackmore, and preparator Kara B. LeBeouf on the trip. The Hernandezes were very gracious in opening their home and showing off many of their other antiques, including fine pieces of furniture and

Silver tilting water service with two goblets1898; silver plate and porcelainby Meriden Britannia Company, silversmithgift of John H. and Polly Hernandez, 2014.0261.1

porcelain. It is always rewarding to view an object in its home and have the opportunity to hear about its history. Lydia, Kara, and I worked together to note the condition of the item, take pictures, and wrap the

Winter 2015 15

silver in tissue, ethafoam—a protective, lightweight material used to protect fragile items—and acid-free boxes before return-ing to New Orleans.

When the service arrived at The Collection I finalized accessioning it by documenting, or registering, the object into our collection. I created a record in our collections management system and assigned a unique accession number to the acquisition. An object record includes not only a description of the item but also its dimensions, provenance, location, and insurance value.

Once the object had been accessioned, I undertook its initial care and processing by marking the silver service with its accession number. To start, I evaluated the piece to locate a less-noticeable area for the mark-ing and then determined the best materials to use. For the silver I chose the “Acryloid Sandwich” method, which entails applying a small amount of B-72, a clear liquid that acts as a barrier layer, to the object. Once the first layer dries we write the assigned accession number on top of the base coat with an archival marking pen. Finally a top coat of B-67 is applied to encapsulate the number and ensure that it will not wear off, so that the museum piece can easily be identified. I then worked with our photography department to shoot images of each piece. These photographs will be available to THNOC staff, via our collec-tions management system, as well as to the public, via our online catalog. Last, I evaluated best standards and practices for storage of the service. The individual

pieces (urn, stand, tray, and goblets) were wrapped in tissue and then in silver cloth before being stored in our vault.

The job of collections care never stops, as we will continue to monitor the condi-tion and storage environment of the service. In this case, the service will not be sitting out of sight for long, as our regis-trar for exhibitions and our preparation team will determine how best to display the service for the upcoming exhibition. Although the journey of bringing the service to The Collection is over, I know I will be busy caring for many more objects as The Collection continues expanding its holdings. —JENNIFER REBUCK

STAFF NEWS

New StaffEmily Hindin, scanning technician. Rachel Cockrill, Jean Cranmer, Karin Curley, Melissa Daigle, Jeff Diez, Wayne Gordon, and Linda Potter, volunteers.

ChangesAlbert Dumas Jr. is now a docent as well as a receptionist. Rebecca Smith is now head of reader services.

HonorsAlfred E. Lemmon, director of the Williams Research Center, was inducted into the prestigious Orden de Isabel la Católica (Order of Isabella the Catholic), a royal order honoring special champions of Spanish history and culture.

In the CommunityDaniel Hammer, deputy director, has joined the board of directors of the Vieux Carré Commission Foundation.John H. Lawrence, director of museum programs, has been appointed to the Tulane Master of Preservation Studies Preservation Advisory Group.Kate Bruce Carter, associate registrar, was elected secretary of the Southeastern Registrars Association.Mark Cave, oral historian and senior curator, was named to the editorial board of Transaction Publishers’ Memory and Narrative Series.

Alfred E. Lemmon


As The Historic New Orleans Collection’s first member organization, the Laussat Society plays an important role in fulfill-ing the institution’s mission to preserve the history and culture of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Gulf South. Established in 2003 with a charter membership of 51 people, the group has grown tremendously over the past decade and has paved the way for expanded involvement in The Collection, said Jack Pruitt, director of development and community relations.

“This year we are proud to report that we have a record number of members,” Pruitt said. “We are truly grateful for their invaluable financial support.”

“Laussat members are incredibly supportive of the history of New Orleans, the history of Louisiana,” added E. Alexandra Stafford, THNOC board member and chair of the society since 2013.

The society was named for Pierre Clément Laussat (1756–1835), who acted as Napoleon Bonaparte’s representative in Louisiana. It was Laussat who formally accepted possession of the colony from Spain in a retrocession ceremony on November 30, 1803. When the United States bought Louisiana, Laussat repre-sented France in the colony’s formal transfer, on December 20, 1803. The Historic New Orleans Collection holds Laussat’s personal papers, which he smartly helped to preserve by sprinkling them with cayenne pepper, to ward off pests. The documents sat in canvas bags in the Laussat family chateau for more than a century, until they were discovered by a researcher in 1973.

The Laussat Society sponsors a specific THNOC project every year, which is announced at an annual gala for Laussat and Bienville Circle members. “The

C O M M U N I T Y

FOCUS ON PHIL ANTHROPY

The Laussat Society

Laussat Society’s generous gifts are designated toward the support of The Collection’s ongoing Louisiana-artist educational initiatives and toward the support of our extensive art holdings; our comprehensive archives on indi-vidual artists, arts organizations, and art institutions; and renowned series of Louisiana-artist biographies,” Pruitt said. The society has sponsored the publica-tion of THNOC books, such as In Search of Julien Hudson: Free Artist of Color in Pre–Civil War New Orleans and A Company Man: The Remarkable French-Atlantic Voyage of a Clerk for the Company of the Indies, and the acquisition of

artworks, such as a portrait of Marie Althée Joséphine d’Aquin de Puech by Jean Joseph Vaudechamp. “Some of our most important projects at The Collection are made possi-ble through the generosity of members,” Pruitt said.

In June, Laussat and Bienville members were treated to an intimate showing of recent acquisitions, wherein THNOC curators selected their favorite new and noteworthy items to present. “The cura-tors could talk to people face-to-face about their favorite objects, why they think they’re important,” Stafford said. “People loved it. It’s a great way for Laussat members to see what all goes on here at The Collection. We hope to offer more and more fun opportuni-ties like that.”

At the 2014 Laussat Society Gala, held November 18 at the home of Julie Breitmeyer, board president Drew Jardine, Stafford, and Lydia Blackmore, curator of decorative arts, presented this year’s sponsorship—a mahogany sofa by John and Joseph W. Meeks. The Meeks brothers were active cabinet and furniture makers in both New York and New Orleans during the mid-19th century, and the piece, which sports its original New Orleans label, is an important addition to The Collection’s Louisiana History Galleries.

“This beautiful sofa is one of our selective purchases of top-notch Louisiana furniture,” Stafford said. “Because [each Laussat dona-tion] is $1,000, we want to put it to good use. We tell the members, ‘This is what your funds helped us to preserve for study and enjoyment.’” —MOLLY REID

Laussat Gala hostess Julie Breitmeyer (center left) with her daughter, Ashley Nelson (left), Laussat Society chair E. Alexandra Stafford (center right), and Executive Director Priscilla Lawrence (right)

Winter 2015 17

ON THE SCENE

Giving ThanksAt the 2014 Laussat Gala, held November 18 at the home of Julie Breitmeyer, THNOC honored Laussat Society and Bienville Circle members.

A. Jim and Kay Orth and Drew Jardine

B. Phyllis M. Taylor

C. George and Fran Villere

D. Gregory Smith, Earl Bonnie, and Lee Floyd

E. David and Catherine Edwards

F. Penny O’Krepki, Bonnie Roult, Ann Bailey, and Marla Garvey

G. Mary Jane and Jim Becker

H. Mary Lou Ochsner and Hunter and Lynne White

I. George Young and Paul Leaman

J. Ellen Ball, Robert Marks, Dorothy Ball, Lee Adler, and Mac Ball

K. Andrew and Crickett Lapeyre and Lydia Blackmore

BA

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G H I

KJ


C O M M U N I T Y

Become a MemberBENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIPAll members of The Collection enjoy the following benefits for one full year:• complimentary admission to all permanent tours and rotating exhibitions• special invitations to events, trips, receptions, and exhibition previews• complimentary admission to the Concerts in the Courtyard series• a 10 percent discount at The Shop at The Collection• a subscription to The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly

HOW TO JOINVisit www.hnoc.org and click the Support Us link or complete the enclosed envelope and return it with your gift.

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS

Founder Individual $35 Founder Family $65 Full membership benefitsFamily memberships are for one or two adults and any children under 18 all residing in a single household, or for one member and a guest.

Merieult Society $100Full membership benefits plus:• a special gift

Mahalia Society $250Full membership benefits plus:• a special gift• private, guided tours (by appointment)

Jackson Society $500Full membership benefits plus:• a special gift• private, guided tours (by appointment)• free admission to all evening lectures

Laussat Society $1,000Full membership benefits plus:• a special gift• private, guided tours (by appointment)• free admission to all evening lectures• invitation to annual gala

Bienville Circle $5,000Full membership benefits plus:• a special gift• private, guided tours (by appointment)• free admission to all evening lectures• invitation to annual gala• lunch with the executive director

NORTH AMERICAN RECIPROCAL MUSEUM PROGR AMMembers of the Merieult, Mahalia, Jackson, and Laussat Societies and the Bienville Circle receive reciprocal benefits at other leading museums through the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) program. These benefits include free member admission, discounts on concert and lecture tickets, and discounts at the shops of participating museums. Visit www.narmassociation.org for more information.

Members enjoy a preview of the new exhibition Andrew Jackson: Hero of New Orleans in November.

Frederick Adinolfi

Rev. and Mrs. Warwick Aiken Jr.

Patricia Alexander and Jean Paul Lagarde

Dr. Gerald “Gery” A. Anderson II

Mrs. James Anderson Jr.

Matthew Anderson IV

Priscilla Anne Anderson

Royd Anderson

anonymous

Antoine’s Restaurant

Pamela D. Arceneaux

Louis J. Aubert

Vickie Bartels

Ronald Alan Bartlett

Didi Battle

Claudia Colomb Becker and Charles J. Becker

Jack Belsom

Michelle Benoit and Glen Pitre

Roberta and Steve Berrien

Malinda and William Blevins

David A. Bohn

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bonner Jr.

Ruth Boulet and Bill Kerins

Melinda and Wayne Bourgeois

Anne S. Bradburn

Michelle Braverman

Elizabeth H. Brazelton

Virginia Hogan Brazil and J. G. Brazil

Mrs. Philip Breitmeyer II

Esther Brewer

Dr. James Briggs

Lisa Brooking and Bennett K. Davis

Brigid Brown and Steven Guidry

Carol and Russ Brown

Stephen B. Browne

Ann Maylie Bruce

Jeanne F. Bruno

Jennie and James O. Bryant

Stratton Bull

Sharren H. Burns

Gerry Call

Salvador B. Camacho

Dr. and Mrs. Keith Cangelosi

Janet F. and Robert J. Carr

Jonathan Carter

Mark Cave

Georgia D. Chadwick

Miriam Childs

Mrs. William K. Christovich

Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson

Ellen Barnett Cleary

College of DuPage Library

Christine and Allan B. Colley

Beth Colon

Conerly Floral

Barry J. Cooper Jr. and Stuart H. Smith

Bonnie Lee Corban

Country Roads Magazine

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph C. Cox Jr.

Adele Q. Cressy

Paul Cretini

Pam Crutchfield

Dr. and Mrs. Walter H. Daniels

Joe Darby

Dr. Cason de la Houssaye

Clifford H. Decamp

Darren Denham

Department of the Army, New Orleans District, Corps of Engineers

Nathalie H. Dessens

Douglas G. Dike

Dr. and Mrs. Michael P. Dolan

Joan and Robert Doolittle

Warren Duffour

Claudia Dumestre

Brooke H. Duncan

Mr. and Mrs. Brooke H. Duncan III

Pamela and Homer J. Dupuy

The Honorable and Mrs. Stanwood R. Duval Jr.

Ninette A. Edmiston

Robert D. Edmundson

Emily Taylor Elliott and Charles Elliott

Kurt D. Engelhardt

Barbara Epstein and Kevin McEvoy

Eron H. Epstein

Julie Eshelman-Lee and Felix Lee

Deborah and Glenn Estapa

John Exnicios

Suellen A. Eyre

Audrey B. Ezzo

Charlotte K. Fanz, on behalf of the Keller Family

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Rien T. Fertel

Rillius Paul Fitch III

Francella S. Flurry

Judy and John Foren

Fred W. Todd Living Trust

Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Friedman

Lillie Petit Gallagher

Patricia Galloway and Peter Webb

Marleen K. and Timothy F. Garitty

M. Bruce Gaynor

Dr. and Mrs. Charles F. Genre

Jim Gershey and Dan Gunther

Nanette A. Gibbs

Dr. Louis and Janie Glade

Mr. and Mrs. J. Malcolm Gonzales

Wayne E. Gordon

Abbye and Steve Gorin

Robert S. Greene

Erin M. Greenwald

Robert Grier Sr.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Guertin

Becky and Jerry Guillot

Andreas Hablutzel

Carol V. Hall

Patricia and George B. Hall Jr.

Arthur Hardy

Timothy Harlan

Sandy and Paul M. Haygood

Mr. and Mrs. John H. Hernandez

The Honorable Stephen A. Higginson

Volney Hill

Marcia and Howard Hirsch

Robert Hodes

Linda Kay Hoff, PhD

Susan K. Hoskins

Lee Ann W. and T. C. “Flash” Howard

Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation

Rita Lynn Jackson

Dr. and Mrs. Trent James

Mr. and Mrs. R. Andrew Jardine

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony N. Johnson

Darlene H. Johnson

Dorothy C. Johnson

Ann Reiley Jones

George E. Jordan

John Karel

Mr. and Mrs. James L. Kelly

Dr. Nina M. Kelly

Judith R. and Richard Kennedy

Marilyn and Jim Kitto

Knights of Babylon

Dr. Cassandra L. Knobloch

Clarisse Ansel Krauss

Judith A. Kron

Dr. Colby H. Kullman

Kathleen Kurtz

Mary and Alvin LaCoste

Jenny and Barry L. LaCour

Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Lanaux Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. John H. Lawrence

Dr. and Mrs. Gordon Buck LeGrand

Mr. and Mrs. Clay C. LeGrande Jr.

Justice Harry T. Lemmon and Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon

Joan L. Lennox

Mr. and Mrs. John P. Leonard

Nancy Lewis and Jeremiah Lewis

Lightner Museum

Ariane Livaudais

Rockwell Livingston

Ellen R. Lizarraga

Lynn A. and Juan J. Lizárraga

Cesar Lombana

Dr. and Mrs. Alfredo Lopez

Henri M. Louapre

Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra

Norah and Charles M. Lovell

DONORS

July–September 2014The Historic New Orleans Collection is honored to recognize and thank the following individuals and organizations for their financial and material donations.

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Winter 2015 19


Irene and Tom Lutkewitte

Betty N. Lyons

Sheila and Richard MacWilliams

John T. Magill

Ann Maier

Cindy and Fulvio Manto

John Marshall

Kevin Martinez

Carol and Richard McAdoo

Mary Ellen McAuliffee

Mrs. E. Howard McCaleb

Dr. and Mrs. William McCall Jr.

Sandie McCarthy-Brown

Ralph McDonald II

Mr. and Mrs. Terry McFillen

Betty Ann Fox McGee

Jack B. McGuire

Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. McHale Jr.

Dr. and Mrs. Lamar McMillin

Michael Melancon

Dr. Ross Mestayer and Sandy Cyr

Dierdre Miano and Michael Colvin

Leo Michiels

Ira J. Middleberg

Victoria Miller and Nancie W. Smith

David C. Miner

Mr. and Mrs. David Yoakley Mitchell

William Monsted

Gilda H. Moore

Geraldine Murphy

Harriet H. Murrell

Astrid C. Mussiett

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Navarre

Neal Auction Company Inc.

New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau

New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation

Grace and Kenneth E. Newburger

Mr. and Mrs. Jerry K. Nicholson

John T. O’Connor

Patricia H. Ogden, Esq. and John W. DeMarco, Esq.

Errol J. Olivier

Middleton O’Malley-Keyes

Kay M. and James E. Orth

ORX Exploration Inc.

Mary Cleland Owen and C. B. Owen

Kurt Owens

Lawrence Paddock

Lynne Robertson Parker

Patio Planters

June B. Peay

Lorraine and Neal Pendleton

Dr. and Mrs. H. Gunther Perdigao

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Pincus

Ms. Murray Pitts

Ralph Pokluda

Rev. Fred J. Powell III

Jane and Ron Powell

Premium Parking

Albinas Prizgintas

Lt. Col. Donald E. Pusch

Cynthia S. Putnam

Jennifer Quezergue

A. Elizabeth and Vincent Reade

Louis Magne Reese, PhD

Colette C. and Sean P. Reynolds

Matthew Rivenburgh

Lewis Rogers

Dr. Marianne and Sheldon L. Rosenzweig

Bill Ross

Dr. James M. “Mike” and Paula Rushing

Mearline Madline Rutt

Elizabeth G. Schenthal

Craig Schexnayder

Joel Larkin Schmiegel

Dr. and Mrs. Coleman S. Schneider

Drs. Sylvia J. and John Schneller III

Carol R. Selvey

Dr. and Mrs. David Earl Simmons

Lori and Steve Skoog

Dona L. Smith

Jane L. and David V. Snyder

Karen Snyder

Patricia and Edwin Soulier

Rosalie C. and James L. Spicuzza

E. Alexandra Stafford

Bill Stegelmeyer

Louise Hitchcock Stephaich

Patricia and Phineas Stevens

Irma M. Stiegler

Micki Beth Stiller

Margot Stouse

Martha and Philip Sullivan

Dr. and Mrs. Michael Sullivan

Olga and Gary Teplitsky

Kyla M. Titus

Katherine Troendle

Thomas Robert Trubiano

Eugenia Uhl and David Rebeck

Mary Ann Valentino

Belkys Verdin

Daniel Vogel

Dr. Mark Waggenspack

John E. Walker

Stella Walsh and Dennis Lambert

Coleman Warner

Gregory Waselkov

Cookie and Kyle Waters

John Webster

Ninette Webster

Nora Wetzel

Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Whann III

Catherine White

Walter H. White III

Catherine A. Whitney

Jimmie C. Wickham

Elizabeth Williams

Pam and Ron Williams

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wilson

Gaylord Wilson

Lisa H. and Peter A. Wilson

Lorraine H. Wise

Russell P. Wolfe

World Trade Center of New Orleans

Clifford S. Wright

Sally Simmons Zarinski

Tribute Gifts

Tribute gifts are given in memory or in honor of a loved one.Janie Bories in honor of Joan Lennox

Hersh and Fern Cohen in honor of Fred Smith

Mrs. William K. Christovich in memory Mary Jane Fenner

Mrs. William K. Christovich in honor of Joan Lennox

Mrs. William K. Christovich in memory of Richard E. O’Krepki

Linda and Richard Friedman in honor of Joan Lennox

Linda and Richard Friedman in honor Molly St. Paul

Louise C. Hoffman (Nola I-Club) in honor of Jessica Dorman

International PBX Telecommunicators in honor of John T. Magill

Dr. Florence M. Jumonville in honor of Joan Lennox

Elsa and Cole Schneider in honor of Joan Lennox

Myra Soboloff in honor of Joan Lennox

Dr. Elizabeth Eustis Wheeler in memory of Jane Eustis Suydam

C O M M U N I T Y


Bookplates

Donations are used to purchase books that will be marked with a commemorative bookplate.

Mrs. William K. Christovich in memory of Joseph Matthew Rault Jr.—The BP Oil Spill

edited by David M. Haugen (Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2012)

Mrs. William K. Christovich in memory of Mary S. Fitzpatrick—Coming Home to New

Orleans: Neighborhood Rebuilding after Katrina by Karl F. Seidman (New York: Oxford

University Press, 2013)

The board of directors and staff of The Historic New Orleans Collection in memory of

Richard E. O’Krepki—Gentlemen’s Blood: A History of Dueling from Swords at Dawn to

Pistols at Dusk by Barbara Holland (New York: Bloomsbury, 2003)

The board of directors and staff of The Historic New Orleans Collection in memory of

Walker Young Ronaldson Jr.—Painters and Paintings in the Early American South by

Carolyn J. Weekley (Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in association

with Yale University Press, 2013)

Winter 2015 21

A C Q U I S I T I O N S

Siblings Royes Fernandez (1929–1980) and Jeanne Fernandez Bruno (b. 1926) both studied ballet in New Orleans with Lelia Haller, the first American première danseuse of the Paris Opera Ballet, and both brother and sister became instru-mental to the dance world, though in very different ways. Bruno danced through the 1940s for Lelia Haller’s New Orleans Opera House Association, and in the 1950s she starred in many dance productions for the Crescent City Concerts Association at the Municipal Auditorium and acted in the occasional play at Le Petit Theatre. In the 1970s Bruno served as program director of Dance Residencies in Louisiana, a division of the Louisiana State Arts Council, and she has since been instrumental in many other local and regional arts organizations, such as the National Association of Regional Ballet, Symphony Volunteers, New Orleans

ACQUISITION SPOTLIGHT

Lives in MotionFernandez, Blanchin, and Pemberton Family Papers, Additiongift of Jeanne F. Bruno, 2014.0322

Royes Fernandez and Jeanne Fernandez Bruno1944 or 1945; photoprintgift of Jeanne F. Bruno, 2014.0322.1

Related Holdings

Royes Fernandez Papers96-92-L, 2013.0203

Note to George Balanchine from Royes Fernandez1947gift of Jeanne F. Bruno, 2013.0203.4

George Pierre Blanchinca. 1920–29; photoprintgift of Jeanne F. Bruno, 2013.0305.1

Interior view of the French Opera Housefrom La Favorite: Opera in Four Acts 1890; wood engravingacquisition made possible by the Clarisse Claiborne Grima Fund, 92-48-L.78.320

Center for Creative Arts, Young Audiences, and Delta Festival Ballet.

Fernandez went on to study at the School of American Ballet in New York. After his high school graduation, in 1946, he joined the corps de ballet of the famed Original Ballet Russe, earlier known as Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. He then worked as a principal dancer for the tour-ing company Markova-Dolin Ballet before becoming a soloist with the American Ballet Theater, a post he kept until his retirement, in 1973. During his time with ABT, Fernandez toured exten-sively, with performances

Emanuel Paul Fernandez1916; photoprintgift of Jeanne F. Bruno, 2014.0322.2



RECENT ADDITIONS

Vaudeville, Venus, and Cartes de Visite

Dreamland Theatre Broadside2013.0340

Located at 900 Elysian Fields Avenue on the uptown-riverside corner of Burgundy Street, the Dreamland Theatre originally opened in November 1903 as the Elysium Theatre. It was renamed Dreamland in 1922 and continued to operate as a neigh-borhood theater, one of dozens throughout the New Orleans area, until 1965, when it was purchased by entrepreneur Arthur Barnett. He renamed it the Paris Theatre and presented adult movies. Subsequent owners continued operating the Paris as an adult theater during the 1970s and ’80s until it closed, in 1987. Two years later, the

building was destroyed by fire, and the lot has remained undeveloped.

Casmier J. Blanda recently donated a small, fragile broadside announcing sched-uled entertainment at the Dreamland for Friday, November 3, 1922. Leading the bill is Watch Your Step, a silent drama starring the versatile Patsy Ruth Miller (1904–1995) and popular leading man Cullen Landis (1896–1975) in “A Picture That Shatters All Speed Limits for Thrills.” The film was released in February 1922. The accompany-ing short, Red Hot Rivals, “The Comedy with a Million Laughs,” starred Lee Moran (1888–1961) and was released in May 1922. Vaudeville is represented on the bill by the presence of two routines, The Mistress of the World and Saved by Wireless, as well as mention of the Dreamland Concert Orchestra. Admission is listed as ten cents and seventeen cents for seating on the main floor and five and ten cents for the balcony. —PAMELA D. ARCENEAUX

in places ranging from Spain to the USSR. He toured Latin America with the Alicia Alonso Ballet Company before the Cuban Revolution and with Margot Fonteyn for her 1963 world tour, with stops in Israel, Egypt, Japan, and more. Fernandez is considered to be the first American premier danseur, known for his elegance and exceptional technique. At the height of his career, he danced the role of Prince Siegfried in American Ballet Theater’s full-length premiere of Swan Lake in 1967.

It’s not a surprise that both Bruno and Fernandez were dedicated to the performing arts. Though their father, Emanuel Paul Fernandez (1887–1949), was a jeweler for Adler’s, he was also a ballroom dance instructor who taught out of their Uptown home. Their mother, Françoise Fernandez, was entre-nched in the performing arts through her families, the Blanchins and Pembertons. Grandfather George Pierre Casimir Blanchin (1860–1924) was an engineer of railroad bridges and a noted violin-ist. He performed with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra and was the director of the Tudor Orchestra and the Dauphine Theatre Orchestra. Françoise’s uncle, John Peter Pemberton, was a respected artist who studied under William Woodward at Tulane University and later went on to teach drawing at both Tulane and Newcomb College. Pemberton was also a pianist, and his brother Gilbert was a manager of the French Opera House.

Within the papers of the Fernandez, Blanchin, and Pemberton families are glimpses of the rich performing-arts culture of 19th- and 20th-century New Orleans. The collection includes photographs of family members, docu-ments relating to Blanchin and Giraug, a liquor-import firm founded by Pierre Charles Blanchin (1810–1874), and correspondence from Adler’s regarding Emanuel Fernandez. An important arti-fact is George Blanchin’s wooden music stand, which he used at the French Opera House. The family papers complement an existing acquisition, the Royes Fernandez Collection (MSS 545). —NINA BOZAK

Moreau Plantation Records2014.0319

Records from the Moreau Plantation, near Torras in Pointe Coupee Parish, provide a glimpse into the daily operations of a 5,000-acre Louisiana cotton plantation

Winter 2015 23

about which little original documentation has survived. Consisting of two ledgers and a copybook, the records date from 1896 through 1902, when George Keller Sr. (1858–1915) owned the property. Keller’s son, George Keller Jr., was stepfather to Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne, later known as congresswoman Lindy Boggs (1916–2013). Boggs spent part of her child-hood at Moreau Plantation.

The ledger includes bills of lading, from between 1896 and 1899, which document goods Keller shipped to New Orleans aboard the steamboats Camden, Ouachita, Teche, America, and Warren. The copybook includes Keller’s business correspondence, and the plantation-store ledger lists charges for goods ranging from foodstuffs to beer and cash withdrawals.

Not much is known about the Moreau property before its ownership by the Keller family. According to Pointe Coupee histo-rian Brian J. Costello, the plantation’s part of the parish was not settled until about the 1840s. “The [parish] was largely un-leveed and uninhabitable until the late antebel-lum period,” Costello said in an email. Therefore, if anyone lived in the plantation before the Moreau family, it likely would not have been any earlier than the 1850s. Moreau Plantation was destroyed by fire on the night of November 8, 1930.

The Moreau Plantation records, a gift of the Keller family, complement other plantation-related holdings, including the Libby and Blouin Ltd. sugar-plantation records (99-108-L) and the Tilden Planta-tion records (93-32-L). —M. L. EICHHORN

Krewe of Venus Film Reels2014.0325

The Krewe of Venus was the first female Carnival krewe in New Orleans to present a parade, staging its inaugural pageant on Sunday, February 23, 1941, with the theme “Goddesses.” This seminal krewe contin-ued to parade through 1992, celebrating more than 50 years of Carnival before disbanding.

On Sunday, February 24, 1952, Venus presented a parade with the theme “Enchantments of the Forest.” The parade,

ball, and supper dance were all captured on approximately 1,200 feet of color 16-millimeter film, without sound. The Collection acquired the four film reels, a gift of Louis Magne Reese, earlier this year and has already begun digitizing them for posterity. Various title cards scattered throughout the reels identify individual scenes and people shown. DeSylva-Dyer, “the Original White Uniformed Photog-raphers,” is credited with producing and editing the film.

The scene opens with images of costumed women leaving the den and boarding floats titled Frogs, Elves, Streams, and Fairies, to name but a few. The motion picture contin-ues with the actual parade, the camera capturing the action from fixed positions along the route, where crowds eagerly catch beads thrown to them by krewe members. After the parade, the women are shown disembarking from their floats, and then the movie transitions to the Venus ball.

The ball footage illustrates the court’s procession and grand march around the Municipal Auditorium. Court members wave to the seated audience before ascend-ing to the stage. Snippets of the tableau—a theatrical interlude illustrating the theme of the ball—and scenes of dancing are also shown. The film concludes with krewe members and ball guests proceeding into the supper dance, where the queen toasts the room and guests make merry. —LISSA CAPO

Oral History Interview with Robert W. Grier Sr. 2014.0318

Early this past summer, Senior Curator and Oral Historian Mark Cave traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to conduct an interview with Robert “Bobby” Grier. As the first black football player to participate in the Sugar Bowl, Grier took on a mean-ingful role in the desegregation of American sporting events. Grier, star fullback and linebacker for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, took the field at Tulane Stadium on January 2, 1956, against the segregated Yellow Jackets from Georgia Tech. The game was played after much controversy, stoked most notably by Georgia governor Marvin Griffin’s December 1955 telegram to the Georgia state board of regents urging them to forbid athletic teams from playing in games against desegregated teams or in desegregated stadiums.

Despite the political controversy, Grier remembers his experience in New Orleans graciously. In the oral history, he describes how he was unable to attend some social events surrounding the Sugar Bowl because of his race but that administration and students at Dillard University arranged parties for him to attend. Grier recalls a banquet at the St. Charles Hotel during which he shared his meal with several Georgia Tech players. Although protests



EDITORMolly Reid

DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONSJessica Dorman

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ART DIRECTIONAlison Cody Design

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George Eustis Carte-de-Visite Album2014.0308

This album of 189 cartes de visite and one snapshot contains portraits of the family, friends, and associates of George Eustis Jr. (1828–1872), a New Orleans–born digni-tary who served as secretary to John Slidell (1793–1871), a jurist, legislator, and diplo-mat sent to France to garner support for the Confederacy. Eustis, Slidell, and another envoy, James M. Mason (1798–1871), were captured by the US navy in the November 1861 Trent Affair, so named for the British ship they were aboard en route to England and France. The men were imprisoned at Fort Warren, in Boston, until their release at the end of 1861. Eustis emigrated perma-nently to France after the Civil War, living in Paris with his wife, Louise Corcoran, and their three children.

The carte-de-visite album presents a visual connection between the Louisiana Confederates in France and their Parisian demimonde. The inscription on the album, made by a French manufacturer, indicates that assembly began in 1861. Certain photographs, including one of Judah P. Benjamin in his British attorney’s robes and wig, could only have been made later

in the decade. Other interesting subjects include Louise and Pierre Rost, owners of Destrehan Plantation in St. Charles Parish; John Slidell and his wife, Mathilde; Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, or Napoleon III, and his wife, Eugénie de Montijo; Confederate general Thomas Johnson “Stonewall” Jackson; and Jefferson Davis. Only a few of the dozens of photographs are unidentified.

The carte de visite—a photographic calling card, also called a CDV—was popularized in France beginning in 1854. The format took off in the US in 1859 and was in widespread use throughout the Civil War. Cartes de visite were made possible in part through technical advancements in photography, including cameras with multiple lenses and the availability of albu-men printing paper, which could reproduce fine details of a portrait even in small sizes. —JOHN H. LAWRENCE AND MOLLY REID

against Grier’s participation in the Sugar Bowl are well documented elsewhere, in this oral history Grier focuses on the positive. He discusses the scrapbook he keeps full of letters received from supporters and says he wasn’t fazed by the politics. He just wanted to play football and do his best.

Bobby Grier’s interview and many other oral histories are available to the public at the Williams Research Center. —REBECCA SMITH


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Silk magnolias in bloom New Orleans native Kathy Schorr paints on silk using

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is drawn with gutta, a rubber-based substance that

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bleeding into each other, giving the finished piece a

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