History is an evolving story. Here at The Historic New Orleans Collection, we gather, research, and share artifacts from New Orleans’ many stories, weaving together the people, places, and events that connect us to the city. First Draft gives readers inside access to our vast institutional holdings and staff expertise in a fresh and dynamic way. Read the latest stories below, or scroll down to browse by theme.

June 22, 2023
Albert Dumas Jr., visitor services assistant/receptionist

Explore interesting connections hidden in the painter's portraits of the wealthy elite in Spanish New Orleans.




June 8, 2023
Story by Libby Neidenbach, interpretive training coordinator; video by Xiomara Blanco, media producer

Four locations where significant events took place during a century of women’s activism in New Orleans.




June 1, 2023
Molly Reid Cleaver, senior editor

Before stereos and Spotify were commonplace, much of people’s musical lives happened at home. Music boxes, soirées musicales, and more in this survey of homemade music before the broadcast era.




May 25, 2023
Mark Cave, senior historian

In a substantial new acquisition, the archive of artist Bunny Matthews comes to The Historic New Orleans Collection.




May 18, 2023
Emily Perkins, curatorial cataloger

In the first part of THNOC's "Coming to New Orleans" series, curatorial cataloger Emily Perkins puts immigration to New Orleans in the context of American history.




May 4, 2023
By Joseph Will and Ashanty Felipe, fall 2022 Black digital humanities interns

Two student scholars find answers—and questions—in their search for records of Black craftspeople in New Orleans.




April 26, 2023
By THNOC Staff

Would Sylvanie Williams be proud of the state of women's rights in our country today? Read the moving responses of ten students, winners of the THNOC's 2023 student essay contest.




April 20, 2023
Sarah Duggan, DAGS project manager

Wondering why Baton Rouge's Old State Capitol is a castle? It's because of the Gothic Revival craze that took Louisiana by storm.




April 12, 2023
By Terri Simon, associate editor, and Molly Reid Cleaver, senior editor

Is there any instrument more American than the banjo? In art, music, and even clocks, the legacy of the banjo abides.




March 30, 2023
By Lydia Blackmore, decorative arts curator, and Molly Reid Cleaver, senior editor

The singular showgirl left behind a trove of furnishings and memorabilia, and THNOC has acquired a select group to preserve this spicy slice of French Quarter history.






 

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