Historic Images Research

Historic fiction, be it romance, literary fiction, even fantasy/paranormal, requires a bit of background research. While genre readers forgive a writer for many things, but blatant inaccuracies blow up the moment before it happens.

Attention to detail

OK, it’s not likely that readers would be upset if a writer mentioned the cupola on the Presbytere when writing a story set in 1934. A hurricane blew the cupola off the roof in 1915, and wasn’t replaced for decades. It’s going throw me off, but, it’s a venial sin. Thing is, it’s an easily avoided sin. Sure, you have photos from your walking tour of the Quarter from last year. The building wasn’t all that different, 90 years ago. Still, is it that difficult to double-check what things looked like at the time of your story?

The 700 block of Chartres Street features Jackson Square on one side and the Kodak Trio of the Cabildo, St. Louis Cathedral, and the Presbytere on the other. It’s been closed to vehicular traffic for decades. This 1934 image shows a car parked there. That’s a fantastic historic detail! Add it to your story and maybe a reviewer will think, this author did her homework.

Sources

I spent the morning writing for my history blog about a painting from Faubourg Treme in 1938. It’s a building that was a grocery store at the time. The artist did a number of works at that time for a Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), sponsored by the National Park Service. That HABS survey is one of numerous projects containing data and images from locations across the country. In New Orleans alone, there are HABS projects for neighborhoods like the French Quarter, the streetcar barn on Canal Street, cemeteries, etc. You want to write a scene where a character goes for a walk, combining her thoughts with observations of the street? Look for a HABS survey of her surroundings. Be aware of potential changes, but overall, the incredible detail of these surveys offer a lot of ideas.