New Orleans 1867

This book brings together all the surviving photographs – 126 of the original 150 – from the remarkable series La Nouvelle Orléans et ses environs, taken in 1867 by the New Orleans photographer Theodore Lilienthal (1829–1894). Comprising the first official photographic survey of any American city, the images – featuring every aspect of the city, from mansions and churches to factories and asylums – were exhibited at the Paris World Exposition of 1867 before being presented to Napoléon III, emperor of France (reigned 1852–70). Gary A. Van Zante discusses Lilienthal’s techniques and places each work in the context of a city embarking on reconstruction. Extensive biographical and bibliographical information is also provided. This detailed and evocative pictorial and historical survey of Civil War-era New Orleans will appeal to anyone interested in American history, the history of photography or the development of the modern city.