Mantel, Storyville, c. 1912
Gelatin silver print, on printing-out-paper
10 × 8 in.
Printed by Ron Todd c. 1985
Stamped on verso
August 4, 2025
This captivating image offers a rare view into the enigmatic life of New Orleans photographer E.J. Bellocq. While Bellocq is best known for his intimate and mysterious portraits of the women who worked in Storyville, the city’s former red-light district, this photograph is believed to document a more personal space: a display of his commercial portrait work within his home. Bellocq lived alone yet, despite his reclusive reputation, he seemed to be irresistibly drawn to portraiture.
The history of the making of this print is an intriguing story unto itself. Bellocq’s original glass plate negatives remained hidden for decades until their discovery by Larry Bornstein, proprietor of Preservation Hall—an art gallery turned jazz club which was housed in a former photography studio. Bornstein’s management of Preservation Hall borough him into contact with Lee Friedlander, who was the the key photographer of the New Orleans jazz scene at the time. Friedlander acquired the plates and produced a series of prints that formed the basis of a landmark 1970 solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, securing Bellocq’s position in the photographic canon virtually overnight.
This image comes from one of two additional plates Bornstein later uncovered and gave to the New Orleans Museum of Art. The museum commissioned Ron Todd, former curator of photography at NOMA, to create a limited edition of approximately fifteen prints from each plate, which the museum offered for sale. This print belongs to that rare and significant edition.
