SHADOWS OF OLD NEW ORLEANS aka "View of Cathedral from Lower Pontalba Balcony." [C. Bennette Moore photograph with hand-tinted color of French Quarter's Jackson Square encompassing the Presbytere, St. Louis Cathedral, and the upper Pontalba.]

Frame dimensions: H 11 1/8 inches x L 9 1/16 inches (H 28.2cm cm x L 23cm). Brown wood frame with white inner fillet with surface scuffs to both. Foxed studio label on frame's backboard provides title "Shadows of Old New Orleans" with seventeen-line essay regarding the streetscape and concludes with statement "Painted by Hand." Frame back's shelf prop appears to be original but past owner affixed to thumb tacks and string for wall hanging. Visible image area of photo print: approx: H 9 1/2 inches x L 7 1/2 inches (H 24cm x L 19cm). Soiling, foxing, and several surface blemishes to image but color remains fairly strong; "C. Bennette Moore New Orleans copyright at image's bottom right. Streetscape scene taken from lower Pontalba building's second floor balcony (corner of St. Ann St. and Chartres St.) in Jackson Square with perspective angled towards the Presbytere, Pere Antoine Alley, St. Louis Cathedral, upper Chartres St. in the direction of downtown, and the upper Pontalba with the Cabildo and Pirates Alley entryway almost out of view. Image's immediate foreground is the Pontalba cast iron railing and its shadow play upon the balcony as well as potted plant and other greenery to the left. The Historic New Orleans Collection possesses a similar view but under a different title: "View of Cathedral from Lower Pontalba Balcony." View of Cathedral from Lower Pontalba Balcony. Born in Minnesota in 1879, C. Bennette Moore studied photography in New Orleans under the French photographer Emile Rivoire. In 1904 Moore purchased Rivoire's Royal Street studio and prospered as his reputation grew for portraiture and Vieux Carre pictorialist streetscapes. During his career Moore trained and influenced other local photographers including Eugene A. Delcroix, who combined his own soft focus style with Moore's hand-coloring techniques. Although Moore died December 8, 1939, his wife and four daughters operated the studio until 1968 where they continued to make prints from studio negatives and maintained Moore's methods of color application - although undated the style of frame and its label seem to reflect this later studio production circa 1950s. Photograph has not been examined outside of the frame. Jpegs emailed upon request. Description copyright David Hallinan, Bookseller.…