Book Review: New Orleans 1867

By Sandy Amazeen Feb 19, 2008, 2:56 GMT

To maintain an awareness of New Orleans’ importance to France’s commercial interests, the city hired noted topographical photographer Theodore Lilienthal to create a body of work for the 1867 Paris Exposition. This collection of one hundred fifty 12X15 inch albumen prints was the first known municipally sponsored photographic survey of an American city and was presented to Emperor Napoleon III at the Exposition’s conclusion. Yet the honors that came with the Exposition quickly evaporated and Lilienthal’s work faded into obscurity partly because museum curators and historians too frequently ignored topographic photography. Thanks to Zante, the remaining 126 of the original 150 plates are available for all to appreciate and in light of Katrina, allows residents a rare glimpse of old New Orleans. Every photograph is firmly rooted in the context of the time as the architecture, topography, history and the people who lived, worked and built the city is studied in detail. The many observations, quotes and attention to architectural particulars leave readers with a vivid impression of what it must have been like to walk into one of the grand hotels or stroll through the busy streets to the wharves teeming with activity shortly after the Civil War. This collection will appeal to anyone with a passing interest in photography, the Civil War and its impact on New Orleans as well as old architectural styles. Even if you only look at the beautifully reproduced pictures, this stunning presentation brings Lilienthal’s work to the public eye for the first time in 140 years and hopefully, gives him the credit he is due as an American artist.