Historic Photos of New Orleans May 14, 2008

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of the new book Historic Photos of New Orleans ($39.95) by Melissa Lee Smith. The book is part of a series of Historic Photo collections covering towns all over the United States. The book does a good job of covering a variety of subjects ranging from public and private buildings, neighborhood streetscapes, education, events such as Mardi Gras, and varying portraits of New Orleanians. Each photo has a simple description and basic history. The author seems to have done her research as the histories are factual and not of the French Quarter carriage ride persuasion. For instance the blurb about the cast-iron cornstalk fence on Royal Street does not pander to the story that the fence was installed because the Midwestern residents longed for the corn fields from home. It sticks to the facts that the fence was ordered out of a catalog, probably because it just looked interesting.

Due to the efforts of zoning, city planning, and historic preservation, much of the housing stock and buildings featured in the book are still standing in New Orleans. A lot of these historic photo books are like flipping through a history of a city that no longer exists. Thankfully this is not the case in New Orleans.

On the same note, my favorite section covers an area of New Orleans that has changed immensely over the years. Before the placement of beaches, picnic areas, and houses, the Pontchartrain lake front was home to a great entertainment district. West End featured rides and a Ferris Wheel that was marketed as the Coney Island of the South. Through the years the same area was home to seafood restaurants on pilings, casinos, and the Southern Yacht Club. Compared to what is used to be, the lake front today is a blank canvas just waiting for another resurgence.

Overall the book is a great addition to the already long list of New Orleans historic photo books on the market. My only recommendations is that in the next volume the author include the address of the buildings photographed and discussed and listed by address in the index. I like to be able to pick up a history book and quickly be able to reference a subject without checking every page.

The book is on sale at all major and minor bookstores in New Orleans, as well as online.