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An antique wooden box with hinged doors, displaying intricate scenes of grand architecture. The box is open, revealing a light green interior. The exterior paintings feature detailed buildings and trees, with a vintage, ornate style.
Card box, between 1824 and 1839.  HNOC, the L. Kemper and Leila Moore Williams Founders Collection, 72.32 WR
Show-and-Tell

Leila Williams’s Collectible Boxes

A look inside the Williams Residence offers insight into some of the interior decorating styles of the late 1940s and early ’50s, as well as Leila Williams’s personal collecting interests.

A look inside the Williams Residence offers insight into some of the interior decorating styles of the late 1940s and early ’50s, as well as Leila Williams’s personal collecting interests. In this video, Interpretation Assistant Kurt Owens takes you through several rooms of the house, examining the unique little boxes—tea caddies, card boxes, and more—that can be found throughout the home.

By Xiomara Blanco, media producer

October 27, 2020

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Williams Residence

Currently closed for repairs, the historic townhouse offers a window into the day-to-day life of HNOC’s founders in midcentury New Orleans.

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A spacious, elegant bedroom with pale yellow walls features a classic fireplace, a large bed, a chaise lounge, and multiple windows draped with lace curtains, allowing soft light to illuminate the room. Vintage furniture and decor complete the setting.
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Meet Our Founders

Kemper and Leila Williams turned their interests in Louisiana history and French Quarter preservation into a lasting legacy.

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Online Catalog

Search or browse through HNOC’s vast collection of manuscripts, artifacts, books, artwork, and more in our online catalog.

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A woman in a white, off-the-shoulder blouse and a red headscarf gazes softly at the viewer. Her hands rest gently on her knee against a dark background. The painting has rich, warm tones and intricate details.

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First Draft

Beyond the Planter’s Pen

Two decorative arts fellows are part of a growing wave of scholars challenging established norms in the field.

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First Draft

What to Do If Your Belongings Are Damaged in a Disaster

Damage from fire, water, and debris can ruin prized possessions. HNOC shares tips for DIY remediation and when to seek professional help.

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Material Culture from our Holdings

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A vintage wooden dresser with four large drawers and ornate handles. It features a tall, rectangular mirror framed in the same wood, supported by two turned posts on either side. The dresser has a polished, dark wood finish.

Meeks Dresser

A fine example of early 19th-century furniture, this dresser has a hidden drawer.

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View of window display at Maison Blanche department store. The mannequins are modeling swimwear, including a two-piece. A school of fish mounted on the wall behind.

Maison Blanche Collection

Memories of the lost art of window dressing

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A black conductors hat with a glossy visor and metallic band. It features a round badge with RAPID TRANSIT and BIG FOUR on the front, along with the number 1015 on a rectangular plaque below. The background is a neutral gray.

Streetcar Operator’s Cap

A cap from the Marie Finhold Streetcar Collection anchors an in-gallery display of streetcar memorabilia and artifacts.

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Related Virtual Exhibitions

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Virtual exhibitions

Goods of Every Description: Shopping in New Orleans, 1825–1925

Peer into shop windows of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

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A vintage illustration of a 19th-century pharmacy interior. The room is filled with shelves of bottles. Several people, including pharmacists and customers, are engaged in transactions and conversations. The ceiling is ornately decorated.

Related Books

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Blue background with a white illustration of an ornate silver pitcher. The text at the top reads Crescent City Silver. The pitcher features intricate floral and filigree designs.

Crescent City Silver

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Historical painting depicting the founding era of New Orleans. The scene includes sailors, Indigenous people, and European settlers alongside a ship. The title, New Orleans, the Founding Era, appears at the top in English and French.

New Orleans, the Founding Era

edited by / édité par Erin M. Greenwald
translated by / traduit par Henry Colomer

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Cover of Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835 by The Historic New Orleans Collection. Features ornate wooden furniture detail with decorative patterns and tassel-like designs.

Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735–1835

by Jack D. Holden, H. Parrott Bacot, and Cybèle T. Gontar, with Brian J. Costello and Francis J. Puig
edited by Jessica Dorman and Sarah R. Doerries

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