Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005 - (Page 9)

practitioners. Two former students, Elizabeth Villere and Betty Keenan, opened their own bookbinding shop on Royal Street in the French Quarter. In 1926, noted Louisiana writer Lyle Saxon attended an exhibition of Newcomb student's artwork and found the bookbinding was "all of a high order," with some having "end-papers designed and colored by hand." He singled out a copy of Alice in Wonderland, which "showed an original and piquant point of view in its decorative papers and general appearance." Another writer in the "intense delight"of a Newcomb bookbinding with a "leather back soft as a kitten." The hand-tooled volume featured a Union Jack on one cover and the Stars and Stripes on the other. The museum's collection of Newcomb College bindings contains the work of Eunice Baccich, Lillian Rogers, and Mary Rosenblatt. Miss Rosenblatt majored in bookbinding and pottery, graduating in 1928. Miss Baccich crafted bindings throughout the 1920s, then took over the teaching of bookbinding when Lota Lee Troy was named head of the Art School in 1931. In a Times-Picayune article from 1934, Miss Baccich outlined the three basic principles of Newcomb bookbinding. The main thing, she said, was to preserve the book. The second was to create an artistic work. Lastly, she believed that the design for the covers and end papers should be original, and be in harmony with the contents of the book. The Newcomb bookbinders certainly created their bindings according to these principles and the books continue to please both the eye and the fingers with their graceful designs and exquisite materials. —Sue Fischer, Curator of Material Cultures The Louisiana State Museum weathers Katrina, begins recovery The eight Louisiana State Museum properties in the French Quarter have sustained varying degrees of minimal to severe damage. Areas surrounding the Presbytere, the Cabildo, the Old U.S. Mint, Madame John's Legacy, the Arsenal, the 1850 House, the Creole House, and the Jackson House received little water from flooding. The majority of the damage consisted of a few missing roof tiles, windows and shutters in the Cabildo complex and at the Presbytere. Hardest hit was the Old U.S. Mint, which lost a large portion of its copper roof. As a result, water came into contact with office areas, and a very small percentage of the jazz collection (approximately 1 percent) was affected. Museum staff has been working closely with State and Federal officials to stabilize buildings and protect the collections housed within them. Contractors engaged by FEMA have secured the Mint roof with tarp, and temporary repairs are underway. Documents retrieved from Mint offices were immediately freeze dried at LSU's Hill Memorial Library, and librarians report that the pieces are progressing well. Despite disruptions from Hurricane Katrina, events and exhibitions at the Cabildo will continue as scheduled as well as for branches in Natchitoches, Patterson, and Thibodaux. Log on to www.lsm.crt.state.la.us/ for additional information, or call 225-342-5414. I Cabildo Jackson Square in New Orleans The site of the Louisiana Purchase Transfer and the flagship building of the Louisiana State Museum historical museum complex. I The Old Courthouse Museum 600 Second Street, Natchitoches The Richardsonian Romanesque structure is located in the heart of Natchitoches' historic district. I Louisiana State MuseumPatterson 394 Airport Circle Road, Patterson Louisiana's aviation heritage is chronicled through aircraft, artifacts and memorablia. Also on view: When Money Grew on Trees: The Spanish Moss Industry in Louisiana. I E.D. White Historic Site 2295 LA Highway 1, Thibodaux The family home of Edward Douglas White, the only Louisiana native to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, features exhibits on life along Bayou LaFourche and the role of the White family in Louisiana history. Fall 2005/LOUISIANA CULTURAL VISTAS 9 http://www.lsm.crt.state.la.us/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005 Contents Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Louisiana State Museum After Katrina and Rita Tabasco: Edmund McIlhenny and the Birth of a Louisiana Pepper Sauce Historic New Orleans Collection Louisiana Association of Museums New Orleans’ Coffee Connection No Man’s Land Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism Bookstand (Book Review by Thomas Uskali) Sound Advice (Music Review by Ben Sandmel) Forum (Commentary by Roy Blount, Jr. )

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005

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