Powerful Women of the New Orleans Underground
The stories of five madams illustrate the challenges of female entrepreneurs during and after Storyville.
This presentation features profiles of five different women from antebellum to post-Storyville New Orleans to show the continuities and changes that occurred before, during, and after the Storyville era of prostitution. Featured madams include Kate Townsend, Josie Arlington, Lulu White, Willie Piazza, and Norma Wallace.
Learn more in this presentation created by Shelby Lanoux, HNOC Derven Scholar and student at Mount Carmel Academy.
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The Storyville Madam Who Challenged Jim Crow—and Won
When the City of New Orleans passed an ordinance to remove black prostitutes from Storyville, Willie Piazza fought back.
“The Liquor Capital of America”
The 18th Amendment outlawed the sale and manufacture of alcohol in the United States. New Orleans proved itself loathe to give up old habits.
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Blue Books
Visitors to Storyville navigated the red-light district with help from these illustrated guides.
Poodle’s Patio Pamphlet
During the golden age of Bourbon Street burlesque, Poodle’s Patio featured performers such as Galatea and Jezebel.
Hugh Hefner Letter
The Playboy founder laments the effect of Jim Crow on his budding empire.
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Storyville: Madams & Music
Explore the history of Storyville, New Orleans's legally sanctioned prostitution district that helped give birth to jazz.
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Guidebooks to Sin: The Blue Books of Storyville, New Orleans
by Pamela D. Arceneaux
with a foreword by Emily Epstein Landau
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