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number or tomb name; any variable can be targeted for search results quickly and easily. For example, an architectural history student researching decorative motifs among graves and tombs can use the digital survey to bring up lists of cemetery lots according to style and placement of ornamentation.
The Collection and Save Our Cemeteries also hope that, by making the survey information available to a wider audience, more people will pitch in to take care of these historic landmarks. A greater awareness of one’s ancestors’ resting places, along with a little whitewash and some flowers, can help ensure that the cemeteries remain open and attractive to visitors and locals for years to come.
—Daniel Hammer and Molly Reid
XCUi
Left: A row of tombs in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
Opposite page: Information such as the presence of a gate around this St. Louis No. 1 tomb, the names and dates on the closure tablet, and the presence of ornamentation will all be incorporated into the digital survey.
Ducks in a Row
This summer, a flock of faux feathered friends took up residence in The Collection’s orientation room at 533 Royal Street. The 60 handcrafted duck decoys are a sampling from the recently acquired decoy collection of Anne and Dick Stephens.
The Stephenses anonymously lent The Collection approximately 150 of their decoys, along with related wildfowl art and books, for the two-part 2007 exhibition Birds of a Feather: Wildfowl Carving in Southeast Louisiana, which explored
the work of craftsmen carvers who turned utilitarian hunting aids into beautifully crafted and hand-painted folk art. The Stephenses donated more than 300 decoys and wildfowl-related paintings, posters, books, and stamps to I he Collection in fall 2012. The bounty of the donation, particularly as it illuminates a unique aspect of Gulf South culture, inspired The Collection to showcase some of the pieces as soon as possible, says Collections Manager Warren Woods. The selection includes at least one item from each identified carver in the donation.
“Now that we have received this gift, we want people to know that they can come admire the decoys on display or study any of the others now in our holdings.”
—Molly Reid
Miniature decoy; wood; 1960; THNOC, gift of Anne and Dick Stephens and Family, 2012.0376.1.292
August may be a slow month for New Orleans—tourism is generally lower, and locals are preoccupied with avoiding the heat— but for The Historic New Orleans Collection, it’s one of the busiest times of the year. We kicked off August with our sixth annual New Orleans Antiques Forum, Opulence & Intrigue: Exoticism in the 19th Century, and it was an enormous success. From insights into exotic Victorian jewelry to our own John Magill’s exploration of orientalism in late 19th-century Carnival activities, the 2013 Antiques Forum took us all on a journey. (See photos from the event on page 16.)
The Collection’s curators and exhibitions staff have been putting the final touches on two new exhibitions. Alternative Imprints: Jon Webb, Gypsy Lou, and the Hand-Sewn World of the Loujon Press opened August 13 at the Williams Research Center and features some of the most unique publishing-related material we have ever displayed. In addition to original Loujon titles and ephemera from the printing process, Alternative Imprints includes artworks from midcentury artists such as Noel Rockmore.
October 1 will mark the opening of Occupy New Orleans! Voices from the Civil War, a fresh perspective on the city’s three-year occupation by Union forces. Focusing on first-person accounts of the period—from both everyday people and well-known figures such as Abraham Lincoln—the exhibition explores the impact of occupation, then and now.
Other upcoming events, such as the start of our fall Concerts in the Courtyard series on September 20 and the annual Laussat Gala on October 24, are welcome reminders that summer is at an end and autumn is on its way in. The Collection looks forward to staying busy, working on new exhibitions and features to keep New Orleans and Gulf South history interesting year-round.
—Priscilla Lawrence
The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly 9