“Undoubtedly our artistic climate is going to change through the world situation. . . . I think there is going to be a vast hunger for life after all this death—and for light after all this eclipse. . . . People will want to read, see, feel the living truth and they will revolt against the sing-song Mother Goose book of lies that are being fed to them.”
—Tennessee Williams, November 29, 1941
How "A Streetcar Named Desire" traveled beyond Elysian Fields to the entire world
New Orleans history starter pack: a beginner's guide to understanding the Crescent City
New Orleans history goes back beyond the founding of the city over 300 years ago and contains a whole world of subjects, movements, people, and periods, encompassing colonial history, diasporic history, United States history, arts and culture, technology, war, and so much more. For even longtime lovers and students of the city, it’s a lot to learn.
Remembered as the “father of the Mardi Gras doubloon,” H. Alvin Sharpe was much more
To Carnival connoisseurs, it’s a well-worn origin story—how H. Alvin Sharpe changed Mardi Gras forever with a flick of the wrist.
Was an 1812 hurricane the worst storm to ever hit New Orleans?
In September 1812, French consul Louis Tousard penned a letter from New Orleans that described a devastating storm in alarming detail: “during the night a hurricane more horrible than any event, that even the oldest among us could remember, destroyed all the construction in the harbor; knocked down buildings; and took roofs from nearly all the houses in the city.”
Three current-day poets respond to Afro-Creole protest poetry of the 1860s
In Civil War–era New Orleans, Afro-Creole newspapers run by free people of color published conversations hidden in French-language poems. Poets wrote back and forth to each other about civil rights, current events, friendship, and love.
14 eye-catching house floats—and why they’re historically significant
Mardi Gras parades may be canceled for 2021, but historically, a lapse in organized parades has not stopped the people of New Orleans from celebrating their grandest holiday of the year. This pandemic-altered festival is no exception, as we’ve seen the birth of a new tradition: house floats.
As the images below demonstrate, these installations range from homespun to highfalutin—and while the form may be new, the resourcefulness on display has solid roots in Carnival history.
Video: How the forgotten story of Oscar Dunn was reconstructed using archival sources and comic flair
Editor’s note: This story is released in conjunction with The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 2021 Symposium, “Recovered Voices: Black Activism in New Orleans from Reconstruction to the Present Day.” The interactive website includes books, stories, videos, and a schedule for the virtual program, which will take place March 5–7. Learn more here.
Carnival canceled? 14 years in history when parades didn't roll
Ever since the first large-scale Mardi Gras parade rolled through the streets of New Orleans—the Mystick Krewe of Comus’s torch-lit tribute to Paradise Lost on February 24, 1857—Carnival has been canceled a total of 14 times, whether officially by the city or unofficially by the krewes themselves. The annual celebration has been suspended because of war, epidemics, mob violence, and labor disputes.
Black voters, white supremacists, and voter suppression in Louisiana’s 1868 presidential election
Editor’s note: This story is released in conjunction with The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 2021 Symposium, “Recovered Voices: Black Activism in New Orleans from Reconstruction to the Present Day.” The interactive website includes books, stories, videos, and a March 5–7 program. Learn more here.