New Orleans in the Thirties

A portrait of Louisiana’s Big Easy during the 1930s from a woman who lived through the era.

New Orleans in the Thirties offers a nostalgic view of twentieth century life in the city through photographs and reminiscences. It was a time when Robert Maestri was mayor, the St. Charles streetcar made a complete loop, and the Pelicans won the Dixie Series in baseball. Moreover, it was a time when doctors made house calls and women donned gloves to go shopping. Fascinating period photographs accompany intimate and loving descriptions of the Crescent City of the thirties, capturing the mood and magic of that decade.

This volume brings to life the New Orleans of the past and allows the reader to discover the character of that time and place. Native New Orleanian Mary Lou Widmer’s recollections reveal the leisurely pace of pre-television society in which radio held a powerfully unique role, the headline fashions of the day, cultural mores that now may seem quaint to many, and much more to present this personal history of Louisiana’s most famous city.