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.
Alexander Alaux, born in France in 1851, came to Louisiana at the age of six. After studying in Europe, Alaux returned to Louisiana where he painted with his children until his death in 1932. Read »
Amans, Jacques Guillaume Lucien
French artist Jacques Amans was the leading portraitist in New Orleans during the 1840s and 1850s. Read »
Antebellum Louisiana
The Antebellum period in Louisiana begins with statehood in 1812 and ends with Louisiana joining the Confederacy in 1860. Read »
Audubon, John James
Artist John James Audubon completed some of his most notable paintings for “The Birds of America” while in Louisiana. Read »
Baker, William Henry
William Henry Baker was a itinerant Grand Manner portrait painter active in the New Orleans area during the nineteenth century. Read »
Bastrop, Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de
Felipe Enrique Neri, although deceptive about his own lineage, nevertheless played an important role in the settlement of the Ouachita Valley in northeast Louisiana. Read »
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans, fought on January 8, 1815, was the culmination of a monthlong series of skirmishes between U.S. and British forces in southern Louisiana; it was the final major engagement of the War of 1812. Read »
Beauregard, Pierre Gustave Toutant
P.G.T. Beauregard, born in St. Bernard Parish in 1818, was the first prominent general of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Read »
Blessing, Samuel Tobias
Of the hundreds of photographers in New Orleans during the second half of the nineteenth century, Samuel T. Blessing stands out for his longevity, production, and business acumen Read »
Boqueta de Woiseri, John L.
An itinerant artist, John L. Boqueta de Woiseri announced his arrival in New Orleans on May 28, 1803. Read »
Bousillage
Bousillage, a mixture of clay and straw or Spanish moss used for insulation, is a distinguishing feature of Louisiana’s architectural past. Read »
Brammer, Robert
Robert Brammer, an itinerant landscape painter, opened a portrait studio in New Orleans in 1842. Read »
Brewster, Edmund
Edmund Brewster arrived in New Orleans from Philadelphia in 1819 and was recognized immediately as a talented young artist. Read »
Buck, William Henry
Artist William Henry Buck was among the originators of the “bayou school” of painting in Louisiana. Read »
Buisson, Pierre Benjamin
Pierre Benjamin Buisson was a talented architect, engineer, surveyor, and publisher, was born in Paris, France, and migrated to New Orleans while in his early twenties where he advanced his career with work on major public buildings. Read »
Burke, E. A.
Edward Austin Burke, known as Major E. A. Burke, was a Louisiana politician during the Reconstruction era. Read »
Cabildo
The Cabildo, one of three eighteenth-century structures that anchor New Orleans' Jackson Square, stands as a visual monument to Spanish rule in New Orleans, as well as one of the nation’s most significant historical landmarks. Read »
Cajun Folklife
Cajun folklife is a field of study that describes, catalogs, and deciphers meaning within the vernacular culture of Acadian refugees who settled in Louisiana. Read »
Cajuns
Cajuns are the descendants of Acadian exiles from the Maritime provinces of Canada—Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island—who migrated to southern Louisiana. Read »
Cajuns in Literature
Acadians, Cajuns, and their history became part of American literature, often represented through romantic myth. Read »
