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