Tulane University's
Louisiana Research Collection

Map, "Battle of New Orleans For Freedom September 14, 1874." Compiled by T.S. Hardee, C.E. / Lith. and Pub. by H. Lewis, 22 St. Charles St. New Orleans: H. Lewis, 1874. Lithograph, 18 ¼”h x 23 ¼”w at neat line plus margins. A dramatic and extremely rare plan of the 1874 White League Revolt in New Orleans, published within weeks of the events depicted. In 1874 anti-Reconstruction forces established the White League, a military force of some 1500 white males, organized into companies, well trained, and armed with surplus weapons from the Civil War. On September 14, the government seized the steamboat Mississippi, which carried a covert shipment of arms for the White League. In response, companies of White Leaguers established barricades along Poydras Street, then advanced on Metropolitan Police units emplaced along Canal Street from the Custom House to the River. The Metropolitans were quickly routed and retreated to the Jackson Square Station, where they were surrounded and...

Charles-Pierre Lambert baptismal certificate, 1798 August 18. A certificate verifying that Charles-Pierre Lambert was baptized at age two by Jean Baptiste-Joseph Lemaire and that Madame de St. Georges gave him to Monsieur Lambert, his natural father, who promised to set him free. The certificate is signed by Chapdu de St. George, V. Lambert (Francoise-Victoire Joubert né Lambert, his godmother), and J. J. Lemaire. The document is in French. Charles-Pierre Lambert (known as "Richard,") was a free man of color, musician, conductor, and early teacher of the violinist and composer Edmond Dédé. He was born an enslaved person about 1796 in New York, NY to Pierre Antoine Lambert and Marie Nicolle, "Zoe." He is described as a mulatto slave belonging to Madame de St. Georges. In Saint-Domingue on 18 August 1798, his custody was transferred to his father, who vowed to free him. He married Jeanne Ferand, a free woman of color, on 22 April 1826 in New Orleans. His second ...

At the June meeting of the American Library Association in New Orleans, Andrew Mullins and Courtney Kearney presented on how historical archives can support scientific research. Andrew is LaRC's Library Associate for Archives Processing and Digital Initiatives; Courtney is Howard-Tilton Memorial Library's Scholarly Engagement Librarian for Physical Sciences and Data Management. Maddie Hayes has been admitted into the MA Arts & Cultural Management program at King's College London. Maddie was an intern and student worker in the Louisiana Research Collection in 2017 and 2018. Stephanie Jolissaint is now a librarian for the St. Tammany Parish Libraries. During 2017 and 2018 Stephanie was the Pie Dufour Intern at the Louisiana Research Collection. On July 11, Leon Miller , head of the Louisiana Research Collection, spoke at the East Bank Branch of the Jefferson Parish Library System. On August 11, Lee spoke at the Lafourche Heritage Society's annual history and g...

On September 14, LaRC's compatriot institution, Tulane University’s Southeastern Architectural Archive, will hold the opening reception for its newest exhibit, "The Laurel Valley Plantation Photographs of Philip M. Denman." The reception will be held from 5:30pm – 8:00pm and is free and open to the public. The exhibit showcases the nearly 40-year photographic coverage of Laurel Valley Plantation in Thibodaux, Louisiana, by Philip Marin Denman. The journey began in 1978 when Denman documented the more than 100 buildings dating from the 1830s—ca.1900. Twenty-seven years later, Denman returned to record the condition of the plantation in 2005, and in 2017 he photographed the 55 or so remaining structures. The striking b/w images are enhanced by a small number of color prints. The exhibit also includes Denman’s capture of life in New Orleans’ French Quarter in the late-1960s to early-1970s, and his images of the remains of Seven Oaks Plantation in Westwego, Louisiana, bef...

The Louisiana Research Collection is pleased to announce the release of two collections related to Historic Preservation in Louisiana. The Bernard Lemann papers (Manuscript Collection 267) and the Martha Gilmore Robinson papers (Manuscript Collection 678) contain substantial documentation of historic preservation, urbanization, memorialization, and infrastructure in mid-20th century New Orleans. While Martha Gilmore Robinson's personal correspondence had previously been released, Camila Rodriguez, a LaRC student employee, recently processed Robinson's papers related to the sesquicentennial commemoration of the Battle of New Orleans, the creation of Chalmette Battlefield park and monument, and the proposed construction of the Riverfront Expressway. These newly released documents also record Robinson’s involvement with the Vieux Carre Commission, Save Our Riverfront, and her role as a founding member of the Louisiana Landmarks Society. The Bernard Lemann papers preserve the...