French priest Joseph M. Paret (1807-1872) served in the missions
of Louisiana from 1847 to 1869 as pastor of the Little Red Church,
located upstream from New Orleans on the east bank of the
Mississippi River. During his somewhat lonely tenure, Paret
sketched landscapes, architecture, and interiors, capturing
everyday life in prosperous St. Charles Parish. In 1987,
fifty-three watercolors were discovered -- still bound in their
original sketchbook -- among his personal effects. Plantations by
the River contains twenty-eight of these paintings created in or
about the year 1859. Paret's insightful artwork provides a visual
social history of the antebellum creole culture of south Louisiana
and documents properties in addition to structures and furnishings
of the period.
The book features full-size reproductions of Paret's paintings,
which have been restored to their original vibrancy. The value of
Paret's detailed folk art lies in the accuracy of his depiction of
the region he lived in. He faithfully renders parishioners
attending church, men pulling driftwood from the Mississippi River,
and the edifices and flora gracing local plantations Ormond and
Good Hope, among many others. The text is presented in both English
and French; and as a supplement to the art, an appendix of excerpts
from Mon Journal d'Amerique -- a collection of correspondence
between Paret and his family -- is included.
The beautiful, brightly colored paintings of Plantations by the
River are a rare discovery and provide a unique view of rural
Louisiana life before the onset of the Civil War.
General
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