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A group of people sit and stand in a cozy room filled with antique furniture and books. A man stands in the center, speaking animatedly. The room is warmly lit, with paintings and various decor items displayed on the walls and shelves.

New Orleans Antiques Forum

The South’s premier event for lovers of decorative arts and material culture, held annually every summer

About Antiques Forum

Since 2008, HNOC’s New Orleans Antiques Forum has brought together antiques aficionados, scholars of material culture, and fans of finery in a weekend-long celebration of history and aesthetics. Talks and panel discussions are complemented by a reception, optional tours and dinners, and opportunities to browse antiques in the French Quarter with fellow attendees.

An elegant dining room table set with ornate gold candlesticks, crystal glassware, and fine china plates on a dark wood surface. The centerpiece is a lavish floral arrangement with pink, orange, and white flowers in a decorative vase.

Upcoming Events

Friday
August 7, 2026
2026 New Orleans Antiques Forum

Material Belief: Objects of Faith, Spirit, and Tradition

Explore the history and cultural context of antiques shaped by belief, devotion, and spiritual practice throughout the American Gulf South.
Signature Program
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A woman and a man are browsing an antique shop filled with wooden furniture and decorative chandeliers. The woman is inspecting a cabinet while the man observes. Various lamps and mirrors are displayed throughout the store.

Past Forums

Friday
August 8, 2025
2025 New Orleans Antiques Forum

Delight & Distraction: Material Culture of Southern Amusement

Step right up and explore the history of southern amusement through its eclectic material culture.
Signature Program
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Black, rosewood box with a gilded and mother of pearl inlaid top, containing pieces for the game "Boston".
Thursday
August 8, 2024
2024 New Orleans Antiques Forum

New Lives for Old Things: Refashioning Southern Material Culture

The 2024 New Orleans Antiques Forum will discuss the long lives of objects in historic practices and current concepts.
Signature Program
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A circular painting depicting a domestic scene with people gathered around a table inside a room. The border features various decorative teacups and saucers on a green background.
Thursday
August 3, 2023
2023 New Orleans Antiques Forum

Music to My Eyes: Material Culture of Southern Sound

Attendees of the 2023 New Orleans Antiques Forum will be immersed in the objects and art that embody the development of “southern sound.”
Signature Program
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A vintage military drum with a worn, red wooden frame and rope tensioning. The drum features a painted design of an eagle clutching an American shield amidst stars and clouds. The paint is faded, giving it an antique appearance.
Thursday
August 1, 2019
2019 New Orleans Antiques Forum

Fancy Footwork

The 2019 New Orleans Antiques Forum will “take steps” to explore topics including the depiction of animals in the decorative arts, the stylized feet of furniture and silver, the conservation of Dorothy’s ruby slippers, and more.
Signature Program
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A pair of vintage floral-patterned shoes with pointed toes and small heels. The fabric is a soft pink with cream and yellow designs. The shoes have a strap with a button on the side and a slightly worn appearance.
Thursday
August 2, 2018
2018 New Orleans Antiques Forum

It Really Works! Utilitarian Objects, Beauty, and Facility

The 2018 New Orleans Antiques Forum will explore the beauty of items used and valued in daily life long ago.
Signature Program
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A fragmented ceramic bowl with a light blue glaze and floral design in green, yellow, and brown. The bowl has visible cracks and missing pieces, against a plain gray background.
Thursday
August 3, 2017
2017 New Orleans Antiques Forum

In Their Hands: Creative Masters of Southern Decorative Arts

The 2017 Antiques Forum will explore ethnic diversity in southern decorative arts and the variety of cultures and craftsmen who shaped the South.
Signature Program
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A ceramic vase with a blue and cream glaze featuring stylized floral patterns in blue near the top. The vase has vertical green lines extending from the base of the flowers. The overall shape is cylindrical with a slightly narrower neck.
Thursday
August 4, 2016
2016 New Orleans Antiques Forum

Dinner is Served: Decorative Arts and Dining in the South

Dispelling myths and breaking stereotypes of regional cuisine through the lenses of gender, class, and race, the 2016 Antiques Forum will investigate dining and decorative arts in the South.
Signature Program
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An ornate silver spoon with an intricately detailed design of a lobster on the handles bowl, set against a plain white background.
Thursday
July 30, 2015
2015 New Orleans Antiques Forum

It's Only Natural

The 2015 New Orleans Antiques Forum will explore the decorative arts inspired by nature and wildlife of the Gulf South.
Signature Program
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Close-up of an ornate, golden picture frame with intricate floral and leaf patterns carved in relief along the border. The rich texture and detailed design feature roses and other flowers, giving a luxurious and classic appearance.
Thursday
July 31, 2014
2014 New Orleans Antiques Forum

Southern Expression

The 2014 New Orleans Antiques Forum will explore southern expression in material culture, across centuries of history and the various subjects, themes, and subcultures of coastal south.
Signature Program
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Illustration of a lively street scene with historic brick buildings featuring ornate iron balconies. People walk along the sidewalk, and a street vendor with an umbrella is visible. Lush trees frame the scene, adding a relaxed atmosphere.

2013

Opulence & Intrigue: Exoticism in the 19th Century
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2012

Circa 1812
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2011

French at Heart: Continental Influence in the Gulf South
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2010

Furnishing Louisiana: Early Creole and Acadian Styles
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2009

In Search of Southern Style
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2008

The Inaugural New Orleans Antiques Forum
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A speaker presents at a podium, displaying a slide of an ornate, decorated box. The slide includes text and a historical photo. The presentation is held at The Historic New Orleans Collection, as indicated on the podium. Portraits adorn the walls.

Related Stories

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First Draft

Stories from 10 Years of Scavenging Attics, Porches, and Parlors

Since 2011, young scholars have spent their summers cataloging historic objects made or used in the Gulf South before 1865.

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First Draft

The Curious Mourning Tradition Involving Human Hair

Making keepsakes out of loved ones’ hair may seem gothic now, but hairwork was a Romantic trend of the 19th century.

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Material Culture from our Holdings

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A vintage wooden dresser with four large drawers and ornate handles. It features a tall, rectangular mirror framed in the same wood, supported by two turned posts on either side. The dresser has a polished, dark wood finish.

Meeks Dresser

A fine example of early 19th-century furniture, this dresser has a hidden drawer.

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An antique wooden box with hinged doors, displaying intricate scenes of grand architecture. The box is open, revealing a light green interior. The exterior paintings feature detailed buildings and trees, with a vintage, ornate style.

Leila’s Collectible Boxes

A look inside the Williams Residence offers insight into some of the interior decorating styles of the late 1940s and early ’50s, as well as Leila Williams’s personal collecting interests.

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Related Virtual Exhibitions

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Virtual exhibitions

Goods of Every Description: Shopping in New Orleans, 1825–1925

Peer into shop windows of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

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A vintage illustration of a 19th-century pharmacy interior. The room is filled with shelves of bottles. Several people, including pharmacists and customers, are engaged in transactions and conversations. The ceiling is ornately decorated.

Related Books

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Blue background with a white illustration of an ornate silver pitcher. The text at the top reads Crescent City Silver. The pitcher features intricate floral and filigree designs.

Crescent City Silver

Learn More Buy Now Buy Now
Cover of Nelly Custis Lewis’s Housekeeping Book edited by Patricia Brady Schmit. Features a silhouette cameo and cursive writing in the background.

Nelly Custis Lewis’s Housekeeping Book

edited by Patricia Brady Schmit

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Cover of Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835 by The Historic New Orleans Collection. Features ornate wooden furniture detail with decorative patterns and tassel-like designs.

Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735–1835

by Jack D. Holden, H. Parrott Bacot, and Cybèle T. Gontar, with Brian J. Costello and Francis J. Puig
edited by Jessica Dorman and Sarah R. Doerries

Learn More Buy Now Buy Now
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