Photography -- Southern Studies -- Travel
There is no place in America like New Orleans's famed French
Quarter.
With photographs and history, "The French Quarter of New
Orleans" explores the unique evolution of this district. The author
and photographer team to reveal how war, fire, floods, politics,
cultural conflict, and architectural innovation shaped the
Quarter.
In West Freeman's 160 color photographs the present-day romance
of the Vieux Carre is here to savor. But "The French Quarter of New
Orleans" moves beyond the Old World facades and into the heart and
history of the many peoples-Spanish, French, Creole, Native
American, African American, and Italians-who have lived here.
From humble, wooden French cottages to stately, brick Spanish
Colonial mansions, from Madame John's Legacy to the St. Louis
Cathedral, the Quarter's architecture enthralls, and Jim Fraiser's
text creates an anecdotal walking tour of memorable and storied
sites.
Studying buildings, Fraiser points out the struggle between
native Creoles and newcomers in the replacement of Creole
townhouses and cottages with "shotgun houses" and American Greek
Revival homes. Freeman's photographs and Fraiser's text detail the
historical significance and architectural styles of over one
hundred structures.
The history of the Quarter teems with vagabonds and saints,
warriors and playwrights, musicians, and politicians. Fraiser
animates the fascinating story with such evocative figures as the
pirate Jean Lafitte, the conquering general Andrew Jackson, and the
voodoo queen Marie Laveau. Riverboat gamblers, ladies of the night,
duelists, opera aficionados, plague victims, jazz musicians,
charlatans, and Mardi Gras revelers populate the streets and
edifices Fraiser describes.
For those who have visited the Quarter, this book will be a
treasured memento of the district's unparalleled romance and
flavor.
Jim Fraiser is the author of "Mississippi River Country Tales"
(2001) and, with West Freeman, "The Majesty of the Mississippi
Delta" (2002). He lives in Jackson, Mississippi.
West Freeman is a native of New Orleans. His photographic work
has been featured in "Architectural Digest" and is in the permanent
collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art.
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