Laine Cunningham

Necropolises of New Orleans I Laine Cunningham

In New Orleans, a city built on a swamp, the dead are enshrined above ground. Row upon row of crypts and mausoleums with elaborate entryways, wrought iron fences, and decorative rooftop statues form the Cities of the Dead.

The vaults reflect the heritage of French and Spanish colonists, who were accustomed to seeing these types of burials in their homelands. The styles and sculptures decorating the homes of the dead often reflect activities the deceased had pursued in life. Time and extreme weather systems further shape their quiet abodes.

Beyond these places of final rest, New Orleans and nearby Jefferson Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish are striking places for tourism. On offer are unique French and Spanish Creole architecture, a mild climate, and a cross-cultural and multilingual heritage.

Visitors flock to Mardi Gras, feel the hint of voodoo in the air, relax on the lawn of the Cabildo, and refresh themselves with a walk through the Garden District. Swamp boat rides, afternoons on a steamboat, and bayou tours are found only in and around New Orleans. Travelers who explore at any time of the year discover adventures and excitement steeped in culture and history. Now visitors to the American South can expand their knowledge base with an artist's view of the city of New Orleans and its Cities of the Dead.

The photos in this book were taken at Greenwood Cemetery & Mausoleum, St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, and Saint Patrick Cemetery No. 2. The thirty-five color photos are paired with titles that evoke these cities within the city. Experience the cemeteries as beautiful, historic, and meditative places in Necropolises of New Orleans I.

In the Travel Photo Art series, traditional tourism panoramas mix with arthouse aesthetics. These slim, intense productions are your passport to new perspectives on famous places. Peer around corners and discover a unique way to interact with monuments and memorials you thought you knew.

This popular series includes titles that mix text with the pictures. Books like Notre Dame Cathedral: Our Lady of Paris, featuring photos taken months before the 2019 fire, become keepsakes associated with a specific site. Titles like Lidice Lives and Terezin and Theresienstadt are deeply meaningful for families touched by the Holocaust.

Laine Cunningham, a three-time recipient of The Hackney Award, writes fiction that takes readers around the world. Her debut novel, The Family Made of Dust, is set in the Australian Outback, while Reparation is a novel of the American Great Plains. She is the editor of Sunspot Literary Journal.