Daniel Henry Holmes moved from Ohio to New Orleans and opened a dry goods store on Chartres Street in 1842. He was a direct importer for all types of textiles, from fine silks for evening gowns to rough cloth for slave clothing. In 1849 Holmes moved his business to a large establishment on Canal Street between Bourbon and Dauphine Streets, where it flourished for over a century. Steadily expanding through the nineteenth century, D. H. Holmes eventually occupied the entire block and included a restaurant and departments for women’s clothing, men’s clothing, hosiery, and household textiles. By the turn of the twentieth century, D. H. Holmes was the largest department store in the South and a landmark on Canal Street.
D. H. Holmes advertisement
from Jewell’s Crescent City Illustrated
New Orleans, 1874
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1951.41.4
Evening gown
ca. 1885; silk, velvet, lace
manufactured or retailed by D. H. Holmes (New Orleans)
courtesy of the Louisiana State Museum, 1986.20.2
Umbrella
between 1912 and 1913; silk, wood, gold, silver, steel, rubber
D. H. Holmes, retailer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of Catherine Capdevielle Musso, 2015.0254.4
Selection of dishes from a set
ca. 1908; porcelain
by Theodore Haviland (Limoges, France)
D. H. Holmes, retailer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of Florence Parker Whitten, 1993.120.1.1, .2.1, .3.1, .4 a,b
Selection of dishes from a set (mark)
ca. 1908; porcelain
by Theodore Haviland (Limoges, France)
D. H. Holmes, retailer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of Florence Parker Whitten, 1993.120.1.1, .2.1, .3.1, .4 a,b
Winchester Cathedral plate
between 1902 and 1920; porcelain
by Royal Doulton (Staffordshire, England)
D. H. Holmes, retailer (New Orleans)
The L. Kemper and Leila Moore Williams Founders Collection at The Historic New Orleans Collection, 72.494.1 WR
Women’s fashion display window at D. H. Holmes
1916; gelatin silver prints
by Charles L. Franck Photographers
The Charles L. Franck Studio Collection at The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1979.325.5
D. H. Holmes
1930s; photoprint
The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of Eleanor G. Burke, 2012.0328.30