Braughn Family Photomontage
A dramatic composite photograph depicts a prominent New Orleans family in high style.
Passed down through generations, this 19th-century family photograph is still preserved in its original ornate frame. The 20-by-16-inch hand-colored image captures George Horace Braughn II (1837–1889), his wife Marie Emma Simon Braughn (1843–1920), and their eight children. Also featured in the midground is an unidentified African American woman holding a child. Donor Horace Braughn Taylor Jr. has identified the child as his great-grandmother, Marie Simon Braughn Taylor (1881–1968). Marie appears to be under one year old, dating the photograph to around 1881.
Braughn was a prominent attorney in New Orleans. He passed the Louisiana bar in 1865 and was elected judge of the Second Justice Court the following year. From 1884 to 1886, he served as a state senator. In addition to these legal and political roles, Braughn was a justice of the peace, a Freemason, and an active member of the community. He volunteered as a firefighter and had a deep passion for the arts. A regular performer in theatrical productions, he also served as president of the Shakespeare Club. From 1876 until his passing in 1889, he held the role of captain of Rex.
The image was created by the renowned New Orleans photographer Theodore Lilienthal (1829–1894). A native of Prussia, Lilienthal came to New Orleans in the 1850s and became one of the city’s most successful commercial photographers. He was especially well known for embracing new photographic technologies and techniques. Lilienthal is recognized for the exceptional portraitures taken in his studio as well as his cityscapes and landscapes.
The dramatic composition is fitting given Braughn’s love for theatrics—it includes a heavy curtain, a black-and-white tiled floor, and an unusually spaced arrangement of family members. Closer examination reveals that the image is a photomontage, an artistic technique in which Lilienthal cut out, arranged, and pasted individual photographs into one new composition. Each person appears to have been meticulously placed, resulting in a somewhat surreal effect. Another striking feature of this portrait is its significant use of negative space, a departure from the closely cropped group portraits popular at the time, which were designed to highlight facial expressions and clothing details. This extraordinary image offers a unique glimpse into Braughn’s life and personality as well as Lilienthal’s many talents.
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly. To receive the print version of the magazine, become a member!
By Mallory Taylor, associate curator
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