
Old Absinthe House (1904)- From "Early Views of the Vieux Carre"
Many of us often find ourselves in some portion of the French Quarter, whether that be browsing the French Market, grabbing some beignets, or venturing down Bourbon. The French Quarter was the original heart of New Orleans, and the Special Collections archives have a few books that show the Vieux Carre in it’s early days.

This image of Toulouse at Bourbon and the above image are from "Early Views of the Vieux Carre, New Orleans," featuring scenes by William Woodward. The publication is presented by the Issac Delgado Museum of Art, located in City Park.
It looks very different now from the good ol’ days of the early 1900′s!

"On Chartres Street- Horse and Wagon Days-In 1905" from "French Quarter Etchings" by William Woodward

View of St Louis Cathedral from Chartres on Bastille Day, 1905- from "French Quarter Etchings" by William Woodward
When you walk down one of the many historic streets of the Quarter today, you can still see that it has retained most of it’s historic charm, and even recognize some of the scenes from over one hundred years ago that are still here today. You can still take a horse and carriage ride down some sections of the Quarter, and the St. Louis Cathedral is still a highly visited and recognizably New Orleans location.

The Old Absinthe House (1904)- Seen from Bourbon- From "Early Views of the Vieux Carre"
Can you see the streetcar tracks in the foreground of the above image? In “Early Views of the Vieux Carre,” it states that these tracks carried the streetcar named “Desire.”
You can come view these books and more in Special Collections, Monroe Library 3rd floor, Monday-Friday 9:30am-4:30pm.
Blog post by Maureen Kelly, a Special Collections work-study student.
Found in the Archives is a recurring series of crazy cool stuff found in the Monroe Library’s Special Collections & Archives.