Jules L. Cahn John H. Lawrence Photography Lecture
HNOC’s annual lecture presented as part of the PhotoNOLA photography festival
Upcoming
About the Cahn-Lawrence Lecture
The Jules L. Cahn John H. Lawrence Photography Lecture series aims to spotlight fresh voices and perspectives on photography of Louisiana and the Gulf South. Presented annually as part of PhotoNOLA, New Orleans’s citywide photography festival, the lecture series is a tribute to John H. Lawrence, longtime curator of photography and director of museum programs, who retired in 2020. The event is generously underwritten by the Cahn family in memory of Jules Cahn, whose extensive archive, housed at HNOC, documents second line culture of the mid-20th century.
Behind the Series
Jules L. Cahn
Jules L. Cahn
Jules L. Cahn was a native New Orleanian, a successful businessman, and an aficionado of traditional New Orleans jazz and brass band music. He also possessed a passion for photography. From the 1950s until his death, Cahn took photos and videos at jazz funerals, concerts, second line parades, and anywhere musicians gathered. When Preservation Hall opened in 1961, Cahn was there, and he documented the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival from its inception in 1970 to 1994. He died unexpectedly in 1995. HNOC acquired his archive of photographs and 16 mm films in stages beginning in 1996.
John H. Lawrence
John H. Lawrence
A New Orleans native, John H. Lawrence was responsible for building the extensive photographic holdings at HNOC, where he worked for 46 years before retiring as director of museum programs at the end of 2020. As HNOC’s head of curatorial collections, Lawrence oversaw holdings numbering more than half a million items. He has written and lectured widely about contemporary and historic photography and about the administration and preservation of pictorial collections, and he has curated dozens of exhibitions on a wide range of photographic, artistic, and general historical topics. His latest publication is the HNOC book Louisiana Lens: Photographs from the Historic New Orleans Collection.
PhotoNOLA
PhotoNOLA
PhotoNOLA is an annual celebration of photography in New Orleans, produced by the New Orleans Photo Alliance in partnership with museums, galleries, and alternative venues citywide. Showcasing work by photographers near and far, the festival includes exhibitions, workshops, lectures, a portfolio review, gala and more. PhotoNOLA draws hundreds of photography professionals to the city to partake in a variety of educational programs, and reaches broadly into the local community with exhibitions and events that are largely free and open to the public.
PhotoNOLA’s broad range of programming connects and inspires our community through photography. Each December, New Orleans shines as a prime destination for photography collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals in the field.
Past Lectures
New Orleans in the ’90s
A Vanishing Bounty
Timely and Timeless: Photography in Louisiana History
The Life and Work of Florestine Perrault Collins
On History and Memory
Related Stories
Who’s a Good Boy? These Pups from the Past
For as long as dogs have been domesticated, there have been dog lovers. The evidence runs throughout HNOC’s holdings.
The Intimate Eye of George Dureau
Prospect.5 spotlights the New Orleans photographer’s “othered” portraits.
Related Collection Highlights
Michael P. Smith Collection
Smith documented the music, parading, and Black folk traditions of New Orleans for decades.
Braughn Family Photomontage
A dramatic composite photograph depicts a prominent New Orleans family in high style.
Mother St. Croix Photographs of Ursuline Convent
The ebullient nun documented her cloisters, sisters, and pupils with care and skill. In doing so she became the earliest known woman to photographically record daily life in New Orleans
Related Virtual Exhibitions
From Daguerreotype to Digital
A look at over 20 different photographic processes and techniques represented in HNOC’s holdings, from the daguerreotype to the digital prints of today.
Enigmatic Stream: Industrial Landscapes of the Lower Mississippi River
Photographs by Richard Sexton capture the essence of a complicated, often mysterious section of the country’s largest waterway.
Related Books
In the Spirit: The Photography of Michael P. Smith from the Historic New Orleans Collection
with essays by Jason Berry, Dan Cameron, John H. Lawrence, and Jude Solomon
Louisiana Lens: Photographs from the Historic New Orleans Collection
by John H. Lawrence
with a foreword by Jeff L. Rosenheim
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