New Orleans
New Orleans was a major port and one of the largest cities in the South during the postcard era, and publishers printed its streets, buildings and landmarks in great numbers. The French Quarter's balconies, the cathedral, Canal Street, the cemeteries with their above-ground tombs, and the city's restaurants and hotels all appear on cards. Printed views are common; early real photos of street life, markets, the levee and neighborhoods are more interesting to collectors.
Mardi Gras
Carnival parades, floats, maskers and krewes appear on cards from the early 1900s onward. Some early series show floats in detail, and real photos of parades and costumed revelers are popular with holiday and New Orleans collectors.
The riverfront
The New Orleans levee was lined with steamboats, cotton bales, sugar hogsheads and banana boats from Central America. Real photos and early printed views of the busy waterfront, steamboats and the docks are popular with maritime collectors.
Sugar and rice
South Louisiana's sugar plantations and mills, with their cane fields, mill buildings and workers, appear on many cards. Rice farming in the southwest, around Crowley and other towns, was photographed as well. Real photos of harvests, mills and workers are historically significant.
Cajun country and the bayous
The bayous, swamps and marshes of south Louisiana, with their fishing camps, trappers, moss pickers, oyster luggers and small towns, appear on cards from the early twentieth century onward. Real photos of daily life in Acadiana are scarce and collected.
Timber
The longleaf pine forests of western and northern Louisiana supported big sawmills and company towns. Real photo cards of mills, logging railroads and crews are collected by occupational and regional collectors.
Oil
Oil was discovered at Jennings in 1901, and later fields in the north and in the coastal marshes followed. Real photos of early derricks, gushers and boom towns are collected.
Places and subjects to look for
- New Orleans: the French Quarter, Canal Street, the levee, cemeteries and neighborhoods.
- Baton Rouge: the old and new capitols and the riverfront.
- Acadiana: Lafayette, the bayous and small Cajun towns.
- Sugar country: plantations and mills along the river and Bayou Teche.
- Southwest Louisiana: rice towns and the Jennings oil field.
- North Louisiana: Shreveport, Monroe and the pine woods.
The Huey Long capitol
The tall Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, completed in 1932 under Huey Long, appears on many linen and chrome cards. Most are common, though early views and real photos of construction are more interesting.
Floods and storms
The great Mississippi flood of 1927 and hurricanes along the coast were photographed. Real photo cards of flood and storm damage in identified Louisiana places are collected.
Real photos versus printed views
New Orleans was printed more heavily than any other place in the state. Real photos of small towns, sugar mills, sawmills, bayou life and oil fields carry most of the value in a Louisiana collection.
What is common
Printed French Quarter scenes, cemeteries, Canal Street views and later chrome tourist cards are plentiful.
Why rural Louisiana cards stand out
Because publishers focused so heavily on New Orleans, the rest of the state was photographed mostly by local photographers, in small numbers. A real photo of a sugar mill crew, a rice harvest or a Cajun town's main street may be one of very few images of that place from the period. In a Louisiana collection, those cards are often worth more attention than dozens of familiar New Orleans views.
Steamboats on the rivers
Beyond the Mississippi, steamboats worked the Red River, the Atchafalaya, the Ouachita and the bayous, carrying cotton, sugar and passengers to landings that roads did not yet reach. Real photos of these smaller boats and landings are scarce.
Questions about Louisiana postcards
Are old New Orleans postcards valuable? Common printed views are modest; early real photos of street life and the riverfront are more collectible.
Are Mardi Gras postcards collectible? Yes, especially early float series and real photos of parades.
Are Louisiana sugar mill postcards worth anything? Real photos of mills, harvests and workers are collected.
Do you buy Louisiana collections? Yes, complete collections from anywhere in the state, by mail.