Established in 1966 by General and Mrs. L. Kemper Williams, the Historic New Orleans Collection aims to showcase their immense inventory of New Orleans-themed collectibles which includes over 350,000 photographs, prints, paintings and others artifacts.
To allow visitors a more intimate museum experience, the museum organizes their exhibits in a number of uniquely themed collections, which are regularly refreshed to ensure that there's always something new in store for you, whenever you visit. Some of their most noteworthy collections have included the Butler Family Papers, the Francis W. Todd Tennessee Williams Collection, while also drawings and paintings by the esteemed Josephine Crawford. The recent Birds of a Feather selection of wildfowl carvings, displays rare pieces by artists like Nicole Vidacovich, Mitchel Lafrance and Jim Mossmeier, while the acclaimed City of Hope: New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina celebrates the undying spirit and relentless efforts by the local community to revive this city to its former day vivaciousness and splendor.
The Williams Research Center invites you to browse through the wealth of information stored in the Historic New Orleans Collections' archives in the form of rare documents and manuscripts, many of which are available in both their original and microfilm versions. Visitors can also study the immense selection of artifacts, paintings and drawings to further their journey of artistic and historic New Orleans discovery and can even photocopy select material for further reference.
At the end of your visit, don't forget to stop by the Museum Shop, which offers great museum-themed memorabilia for quaint souvenirs and thoughtful gift ideas.
The Historic New Orleans Collection welcomes visitors from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Public docent-guided tours of the collection are organized at 10 am, 11 am, 2 pm and 3 pm for a fee of $5 per person.
For further information, you can refer to the website http://www.hnoc.org or call the Historic New Orleans Collection administrative staff at (504) 523-4662.
The New Orleans Historic Collection
533 Royal St.,
New Orleans, LA 70130-2179
