Hail to the Chief: New Orleans Salutes a Parade of Presidents



Prudence and decorum define the office of the presidency. But try telling that to George Washington.

The father of our country, coated head to toe in sugar, once climbed onto a table during revels at the St. Charles Hotel. Thomas Jefferson, not to be outdone, went skydiving over Lake Pontchartrain. And Ulysses S. Grant swigged from a jumbo bottle of beer while weaving his way down Canal Street.

Impeachable behavior? Scandalous hijinks? Hardly. Simply business as usual in New Orleans.

Possessed by the Past: Examining an Armoire at Shadows-on-the-Teche



Decorative Arts of the Gulf South (DAGS) is a cataloging and research project led by The Historic New Orleans Collection focused on decorative art objects made or used in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama before 1865. This summer, I interned with DAGS as part of my coursework in the museum studies program at Southern University at New Orleans, cataloging decorative and material culture artifacts in the heart of Acadiana.  

The Cane River Collection: A glimpse of 19th-century Black Creole Life



Located in Natchitoches Parish, the Cane River region was originally the home of the Caddo tribe, and was culturally and economically transformed after French and Spanish colonists began claiming parts of the area in the early 18th century. The French established a colonial trading post, Natchitoches, in 1714, that became an important trade center between the French, the Spanish, and Indigenous peoples.

Coming to New Orleans: Six items that tell the story of immigration between the Civil War and World War I



“Coming to New Orleans” is a new series, presented in conjunction with American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith, that tells stories of New Orleans immigration history through items in our holdings. Read the first part of the series, a timeline that looks at New Orleans immigration in the context of immigration to the US, here.

Richard Simmons: New Orleans's hometown hero



This year marks the 75th birthday of Milton Teagle Simmons, better known to the world as fitness instructor and exercise icon Richard Simmons. Activist, entertainer, author, and aerobics ambassador, Richard Simmons perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the late ’70s and early ’80s.

Coming to New Orleans: Five items that tell the story of immigration between the Louisiana Purchase and the Civil War



Patriotism in print: How print media inspired the American Revolution



American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith, created by the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Service, examines the continuing evolution of America’s experiment in government “of, by, and for the people.” The show includes a wide selection of reproduction print materials from the period of the American Revolution.

Pipe Dreams: Restored Aeolian organ re-creates the sound of early 20th-century excess



Just as kings and queens from the mid-15th century on used pipe organs to produce sonic grandeur in their palaces and cathedrals, the industrialists of the early 20th century wanted to re-create classical and popular music in their fabulous houses. Home electricity was the new luxury, and what could be more impressive than an evening spent entertaining under electric lights to the resonant sounds of a massive, self-playing organ?

Parlor music, player pianos, and music boxes of unusual size: Home entertainment before the broadcast era



 

Bunny Matthews's Vic and Nat'ly move to the French Quarter



Disclaimer: Recently acquired collections might not be immediately available to view online or in the Williams Research Center reading room. Researchers can inquire about availability via email.

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