LaRC on Loan

Museums across the country routinely approach the Louisiana Research Collection requesting loans for exhibits. If the museum meets professional standards (security, HVAC, staffing, insurance, etc.), then we are happy to oblige. If the museum cannot meet professional standards, then we provide high-resolution scans when appropriate at no cost. In that way, patrons of even small, under-resourced museums can still enjoy our holdings. Locally, two museums - the National World War II Museum and the New Orleans Museum of Art - are currently displaying selections from LaRC.

As part of its special exhibit "The Pelican State Goes to War," The National World War II Museum is exhibiting two items from the LaRC collection "World War II Posters by Louisiana Artists of the WPA Federal Arts Project, 1940-1941." The entire collection encompasses twenty-eight silk screened posters produced under the direction of Angela Gregory, Louisiana State Supervisor for the Federal Arts Project. Artists included John McCrady, Roland G. Duvernet, and T.A. Byrne. Subjects include rationing, conservation, recruitment, public health, domestic security, national secrets, and war bonds.

The Louisiana Research Collection has also loaned a full set of twenty float plates from the Krewe of Proteus 1904 "The Alphabet" parade to the New Orleans Museum of Art for its exhibit "Bror Anders Wikstrom: Bringing Fantasy to Carnival." This is a very rare opportunity to see every float design from a single parade. The exhibit will be on view through April 1, 2018. NOMA's exhibit also showcases LaRC costume and float designs from 1898 and 1910 as well as selections from LaRC's image collection showing photographs of the completed floats.

Through December 30, 2018, the Louisiana State Museum will display items from LaRC’s carnival collection as part of its exhibition Iris and the Goddesses of Carnival. Created in partnership with the Krewes of Iris, Muses and Nyx, Iris and the Goddesses of Carnival  commemorates the centennial of Iris and explores the evolution of women’s krewes in New Orleans from the 1890s to the present. 

Admit card, Krewe of Iris ball, 1927