he riches of New Orleans, past and present, come to us encapsulated in the work of many artists and creative people. They have left an enduring legacy as testimony of their struggles, perseverance, and confidence in themselves and their abilities.

Artists have drawn inspiration from geography and tradition, from the flora and fauna of the swamps and lagoons, from the man-made architecture and natural engineering, from metal, sound, and rhythm. Inspiration has also come from the lives of those women and men--frequently anonymous--who have contributed to make the city the cosmopolitan and lively place it is today. Even those works that were not intended to be anything more than a personal memory, record, or memento give us clues for understanding the past.

The examples gathered in this exhibition illustrate many situations in the life of the city. Exploration efforts, for instance, are described in the maps and lithographs executed by names that today are almost impossible to trace. Historic events are consigned in the battle painting by Jean Hyancinthe de Laclotte, and in the lithograph by Bocquin, which visually evokes la Salle's claim of Louisiana for the King of France. The canvases of William Woodward, Paul Poincy, and Louis Oscar Griffith provide telling fragments of the land and the city as they used to be.

Popular celebrations are registered in the etchings of Morris Henry Hobbs and in the photographs of Sam Sutton. Images of forever-gone beautiful architecture remain only in the photographs of John Teunisson or the lithographs of Hugh Reinagle. The old sounds of jazz are dormant, not necessarily in forgotten records, but in treasured music sheets, while glorious performances are remembered in the photographs of Louis Armstrong's Orchestra and the Eureka Brass Band. Bartholomew's trumpet remains intact, as the smoking gun of a great many memorable affairs. Rituals, manners, and feelings are intrinsic in the chalice, silver cups, and saucers by Gregor, Wilson, Küchler, and Himmel, and in the beautiful cedar chest made by Lino Florentino.

Note: The essay was prepared using the following sources: New Orleans, by Bethany Ewald Bultman; A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, by Glenn R. Conrad; Our Louisiana Legacy, by Henry C. Dethloff and Allen E. Begnaud; Beautiful Crescent: A History of New Orleans, by Joan B. Garvey and Mary Lou Widmer; A Summary of Theater in New Orleans, 1792-1900, by Merle Harton; French Quarter Manual, by Malcolm Heard; Landmarks of New Orleans, by Leonard Huber; New Orleans: An Illustrated History, by John Kemp; New Orleans: America’s International City, a Contemporary Portrait, by Mel Leavitt and David H. Jones; Newcomb Pottery: An Enterprise for Southern Women,1895-1940, by Jessie Poesch; Early History of Fauberg St. Mary, by Samuel Wilson; Early History of Lower Garden District, by Samuel Wilson, Jr.; WPA Guide to New Orleans; and information from the Louisiana State Museum, The Historic New Orleans Collection, and the New Orleans Museum of Art.

 

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