An exhibit on the European influences in and around New Orleans, presented by the Consul General of France (open air exhibit at 2406 Prytania Street).
City names, street names, surnames, landmarks, flavors, architecture, the traces of Europe are multiple and present everywhere in the United States. They constitute the common denominator of a rich history, made of varied individual and collective journeys, discoveries, pains and success.
They are French, German, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Greek, Croatian, Swedish, Irish… for some of them, the port of arrival was New Orleans.
In successive waves of immigration, they founded families and lineages, brought their culture and skills, and left their mark on the territory.
This exhibition explores these influences through stories, places and personalities to illustrate these traces of Europe at the heart of the Louisiana identity.
The New Orleans Bee (France)
The French influence in this part of the United States is first of all a name: Louisiana.
Beyond the undeniable cultural contribution in the arts, cuisine, urbanism and Louisiana society, it is first and foremost with a language and surnames that France leaves its strongest imprint, at the corner of a street, a grave or a Facebook account.
L’Abeille de La Nouvelle-Orléans was a French-language newspaper founded by François Delaup on September 1, 1827 and which ceased publication in 1925. L’Abeille featured opinionated journalism, focusing on the literary, theatrical, and musical life of the city, but also covered news from Europe and France in particular. The publication also included steamboat schedules, the arrival of new cargo shipments, and personal ads that captured the life of the times.
The Croatian Connection
Croatians played a fundamental role in the cultivation of oysters, which is the basis of Louisiana’s gastronomy. New Orleans was one of the crossroads of Croatian immigration to the United States in the early 19th century. Many of the newcomers came from towns and villages along the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea. Settling among the fishing communities of Plaquemines Parish such as Olga, Empire, Buras and Port Sulphur, they imported their oyster farming skills. At 30 years old, Luke represents the 5th generation of oyster farmers in the Cibilich family and is one of the youngest in the parish. He is pictured here on his boat on the outskirts of the village of Empire.
The Czech Beads
Everybody knows what Beads are, those famous necklaces thrown to the crowd from Mardi Gras floats? Before the advent of plastic in the 1960s, beads were made of glass for Carnival and were distributed on a limited basis. So in the early 50’s, the Krewes called upon some Czechoslovakian companies to make them. Here we can see the refined composition of these necklaces and the characteristic colors used at that time.
Kira, pictured below, is Registrar & Digital Initiatives Manager for the Louisiana State Museum, which preserves a collection of these Czechoslovakian-made beads. She is herself a descendant of Czech and Slovak families.
A Swedish immigrant named Hammond
Hammond is a small town northwest of Lake Pontchartrain, well known to New Orleanians for its Swedish roots and foundation. Peter Hammond (1798-1870), anglicized from Peter av Hammerdal (Peter of Hammerdal) was a Swedish immigrant who settled in the area around 1818.
This sailor, briefly imprisoned by the British at Dartmoor Prison during the Napoleonic Wars, escaped during a riot and landed in New Orleans. Hammond used his savings to purchase a then inexpensive piece of land northwest of Lake Pontchartrain, where he founded the eponymous town. His grave, along with that of his wife Caroline and their three children, is located near the center of town under the oak tree pictured here.
Cajun-Acadian World War II Commemoration at the National World War II Museum, April 26, 2022

On February 28, 2022, Lundi Gras, Dean Bret Clesi and the Consular Corps greeted Rex, King of Carnival, on the Mississippi Riverfront in New Orleans.
In the context of the French Presidency of the European Union Council, Deputy Ambassador Michael Curtis was invited to Louisiana by the French Consul General Nathalie Beras from February 9 to February 13.