As one of THNOC’s Curatorial Catalogers, I am responsible for gathering information about individual items within the institution’s holdings, recording that data, and establishing connections that provide researchers with some context. In this piece, I’ll look at some of my favorite Tipitina’s posters and promotional pieces from the Smith Collection. To read more about the origins of Tipitina’s check out this companion articleOpens in new tab.

This poster from Tipitina’s inaugural year, designed by iconic local artist Bunny Matthews, uses a collage style that includes an early photograph of Professor Longhair (or “Fess,” for short), advertisements and testimonials for “electric insoles,” a photograph of a scantily clad woman, a crab, Fess’s lyrics and quotes like “challawallamalla” (a nod to Fess’s hit “Tipitina”), and an eyebrow-raising remedy for insect bites that involves cocaine.

Here Matthews uses the same collage style as the Professor Longhair piece to an even more eccentric effect, featuring lyrics to Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown’s songs along with fish (keep an eye on those fish), two-tailed and flying cows, and a headless guitar player. This poster is also from Tipitina’s first year and informs readers that the club is located “nex’ doh to da river.” Matthews would later become well known for his Vic and Nat’ly characters, which were written to emphasize the New Orleans dialect most often referred to as a “Y’at” accent.

Some of Tipitina’s founders started an annual tradition of the Alligator Ball well before they opened their club. In 1981, they mounted a four-day festival held at locations throughout the city, including Tipitina’s. Part of my job as a Cataloger is to determine who had a hand in making the object, so I did some research into Smith’s photo archive and was excited to discover that the background artwork featured a reproduction of a print by legendary blues musician Coco Robicheaux, who was also known as a visual artist.

This photograph shows a memorial to Professor Longhair at the 1980 Jazz Fest, which incorporates the same print that was used on the 1981 Alligator Ball poster. Note the label for KOOL cigarettes, which Professor Longhair smoked, a hand-drawn headstone, and at the bottom, one of Smith’s photographs of Longhair and his wife, Alice, with other members of the Civil Defense Special Forces 714 in front of Beulah Baptist Church.

This print, signed by Robicheaux, has a more precise quality than the Alligator Ball print. This Memorial [Day] Weekend show featured all local acts and signals a change from the collage style to a more traditional layout without the handwritten elements.

Working with this collection inspired me to make a New Orleans rhythm and blues playlist on Spotify that I listened to while I cataloged. My recommended tracks include “Reconsider Me” by Johnny Adams and “Free and Easy” by Jessie Hill, both of which could have been performed at this show.

Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest are peak seasons for Tipitina’s, and this January 1980 concert calendar shows a jam-packed lineup—even three weeks before Fat Tuesday—highlighted by the Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indians and the Neville Brothers Band. The poster features an illustration of King Zulu by Hal Plauché at the top and a hand-lettered concert schedule at the bottom.

Smith started a printing company called Sweet Molasses in 1979 with his design partner Mischa Philippoff. The Sweet Molasses posters are perhaps the most polished and impressive pieces in this collection, and they are the threads that connect Smith’s professional work and personal collection.

This one might just be my favorite. I love the tagline “Where To Lose Your Shoes,” and the photograph, taken by Smith at the 1979 Jazz Fest, is up close and personal. Both make me want to dance. The fish jumped out at me as a recurring character in this collection, going back to the 1977 Bunny Matthews-designed “Riddim ‘n’ Blooze” poster and reappearing on the 1980 Redfish Festival poster.

This poster for a 1978 documentary on New Orleans culture and the Mardi Gras Indians is so enticing, I had to check the movie out from the New Orleans Public Library. I learned that the filmmaker, Les Blank, stayed with Smith during filming of this particular production. THNOC recently acquired a five-disc set of Blank’s films, including this and 13 other short documentaries on southern food and music. My favorites include, Spend it All; The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins; Yum, Yum, Yum; Gap-Toothed Women; and Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers.