Photos from New Orleans & Louisiana

Two large groups of photographic collections online about New Orleans and Louisiana are provided by the Louisiana Digital Library.

The Charles L. Franck and Franck-Bertacci photos begin with Franck who was a commercial photographer beginning in the 1910s. In the mid-1950 it was Albert Bertacci who purchased the Franck studio and photos and carried the tradition of capturing the traditions, people and favor that is New Orleans. The thousands of photos give the viewer a sense of the growth and development of the city and surrounding areas of Louisiana during the 20th century.

Use the search engine to begin your research. Place a name, location or time period. You ca select to just browse the collection, which is listed at the bottom of the page. Any of interest have a description. You can enlarge a photo for detail and then download the image to your computer.

Another major photo collection for New Orleans is the John T. Mendes Photograph Collection. He did his photo work from 1916 to about 1936. Some 609 dry glass negatives were donated by Mendes’ neighbors to the Historic New Orleans Collection. His photography were done for his own pleasure, covering street scenes, people and events.

A search engine for the Mendes collection allows you to place a keyword or name. Since most of the locations and buildings are names you can search that method. Click on the thumbnail image you are interested in and it will enlarge. It also can be downloaded to your computer and descriptions are provided.

With any ancestors from New Orleans during the 20th century this is a must view site.

Photo: Mardi Gras parade on Canal Street in 1925 by Charles L. Franck.