Special Collections

• Finding Manuscript Materials
• Manuscript Subject Guides
• Finding Aids Online

In addition to its manuscript collections, LLMVC includes more than 50,000 books, periodicals, maps, state documents, newspapers, pieces of sheet music, musical recordings, and other published materials dating from the 17th century to the present that document the social, economic, political, cultural, literary, and environmental history of Louisiana and its people. The collection is especially strong in books on plantation life, Civil War-era Louisiana, state and local politics, and fiction and poetry written by Louisiana authors, as well as early travelogues about French colonial North America. The LibGuide to Louisiana History Research Tools lists commonly used published reference resources for researching people and places in Louisiana History.

Photography arrived in the western hemisphere from France in late 1839. The first record of photography in New Orleans occurs in 1840; the first photographic exhibition took place in Baton Rouge in 1840 as well when Jules Lyon came upriver from New Orleans to display a number of his daguerreotypes. Photographs have been a part of Louisiana history ever since.

The Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC) hold nearly a quarter million photographic images. The earliest is a daguerreotype portrait, created around 1845, of Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis. Recent acquisitions include Jamie Baldridge's The Everywhere Chronicles, winner of the 2008 Lucie Award. In between is a range of materials documenting Louisiana's citizens, places, and events, as well as people, places, and events much further afield.

Many photographs are included in collections of family papers or the records of businesses and other organizations, but LLMVC also includes a number of studio collections. Among these are the works of the Norman Studio (Natchez, MS, ca. 1850-1950), Andrew Lytle (Baton Rouge, LA, ca. 1863-1910), George Francois Mugnier (New Orleans, LA, 1885-1910), and Fonville Winans (Baton Rouge, LA). More recent collections include the work of Donn Young (New Orleans, LA, ca. 1980-2005), salvaged from the wreckage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There are currently more than 20 photographic collections available in part via the Louisiana Digital Library.

The Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections houses a number of political papers collections, with an emphasis on elected officials at the state and national levels. The collection includes the personal papers of many of the most important figures in the political history of the region, including those of Huey Long, Russell Long, and other Long family members. The collection also contains papers focusing on party politics and individuals associated with political office, such as political consultants, staff members, lobbying groups, and state-wide parties.

Finding Aids for Political Papers

• Aswell, James B. Family Papers (Mss. 1408, 1426, 1468, 1483, 1620, 1621)

• Bagwell, Harrison G. Collection (Mss. 2840)
• Breaux, John B. Papers (Mss. 4922)
• Brooks, Overton T. Papers (Mss 2492, 2520)
• Gay, Edward J. III Congressional File (Mss. 1295)
• Gay, Edward J. Gay and Family Papers (Mss. 1295)
• Johnston, J. Bennett Collection (Mss. 4473)
• Long, Catherine S. Papers (Mss. 4051)
• Long, Gillis Papers (Mss. 4050)
• Long, Russell B. Collection (Mss. 3700)
• Moore, Henson Papers (Mss. 4100)

Sen. John Breaux Project

In 2004, former Senator John Breaux (D-LA) donated his congressional papers to the LSU Libraries Special Collections, and the following year, processing of the collection began, thanks to a $297,600 grant from the U. S. Department of Education. The grant ended in October, and processing of the majority of the collection is complete.