KnowLA is a comprehensive, dynamic online reference guide to the history and culture of Louisiana. The encyclopedia is accessible to anyone with a web-enabled device, free of charge.
Photorealist painter Patricia Whitty not only captured the images of still-life objects but her rendering lent a luminous essence to her subjects. Continue »
Wickliffe, Robert Charles
Democrat Robert Wickliffe, who served as the governor of Louisiana from 1856 until 1860, oversaw the state in the increasingly tumultuous years before the Civil War. Continue »
Wikstrom, Bror Anders
Artist and designer Bror Wikstrom was active in New Orleans from 1883 to 1909 and was particularly well-known in the city for designing Carnival pageants. Continue »
Williams, Anna
Anna Williams was a self-taught quilter, considered to be one of the twentieth century's most significant fiber artists. Continue »
Williams, Lucinda
Lucinda Williams is a multiple Grammy award-winning songwriter and performer whose blues, southern rock, Cajun, and folk-influenced sound has achieved commercial success while staying true to her stripped-down, roots music aesthetic. Continue »
Williams, Tennessee
Tennessee Williams was one of the most important playwrights of the twentieth century. Continue »
Wilson, Samuel Jr.
Samuel Wilson Jr., an architect and preservationist, is often referred to as the “Dean of Historic Preservation” in New Orleans. Continue »
Wiltz, Louis A.
Democrat Louis Wiltz served as governor of Louisiana from 1880 until his death in 1881. Continue »
Winans, Theodore Fonville
With his black-and-white photographs, Theodore Fonville Winans documented the people, landscape, and culture of mid-twentieth century Louisiana. Continue »
Wit, Dom Gregory de
In 1946, Benedictine artist Dom Gregory de Wit began working on his brilliantly colored, large scale murals for the St. Joseph Abbey near Covington. Continue »
Woman Suffrage
The ceaseless squabbling among the state’s suffragists themselves counted heavily in explaining the failure of Louisiana to accept woman suffrage. Continue »
Women in Colonial Louisiana
Women constituted a valuable, yet scarce, asset in colonial Louisiana (1699–1803, and until 1810 for West Florida, or the Florida Parishes). Continue »
Woodward, Ellsworth
Louisiana artist Ellsworth Woodward was a pillar of the New Orleans art scene as both a teacher and a promoter between 1890 and 1940. Continue »
Woodward, William
William Woodward was a prolific painter, etcher, potter, historic preservationist, architect, teacher, and promoter of art in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century New Orleans. Continue »
World War I
During World War I (1914-1918) the federal government expanded its power and reach, while spontaneous social and cultural movements transformed the world in which most Americans, including Louisianans, lived. Continue »
World War II
Like the rest of the nation, Louisiana experienced many changes during World War II. Federal spending during the war helped boost the state’s economy from its agricultural collapse following World War I, and new employment opportunities proliferate. Continue »
Writers, Women
Louisiana women have written about life in the state since before the Civil War, presenting their views of the state’s unique society and landscape. Continue »
