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An amateur naturalist, Caillot included this and several other watercolors of creatures—real and imagined—sighted at sea.
(THNOC, 2005.0011)
This struggle, and the company’s fight (and ultimate failure) to make Louisiana a worthwhile venture, play out upon the pages of Caillot’s memoir. Through it all, his sharp tongue and fervent desire to impress his audience—whether through feats of daring or cleverness—are evident. His is a story that aims to draw readers in. That he succeeds in doing so more than 250 years after his death, in 1758, is a testament to the enduring quality of his words and the keenness of his observations.
—Erin M. Greenwald
Left: Ships gathered at the mouth of the Mississippi River; drafted between 1729 and 1758; watercolor illustration by Marc-Antoine Caillot; (THNOC2005.0011)
Cover: Caillot’s delicate watercolor illustration, drafted between 1729 and 1758, depicts Durance, a 500-ton flute, or fluitschip, owned and operated by the French Company of the Indies. On March 16, 1729, the ship and Caillot set sail for Louisiana; after nearly four months at sea, the Durance dropped anchor near the mouth of the Mississippi River on July 2. (THNOC, 2005- 0011)
A Company Man: The Remarkable French-Atlantic Voyage of a Clerk for the Company of the Indies (THNOC, $40), a memoir by Marc-Antoine Caillot, edited by Erin M. Greenwald and translated by Teri F. Chalmers, will be released April 17 and will be available through www.hnoc.org, The Shop at The Collection, and other retailers. For more information on A Company Man and its wily author, visit www.acompanymanbook.com.
The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly 3
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New Orleans Quarterly 2013 Spring (03)
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