One aspect of New Orleans history has finally gotten to tell its story. It may be a bit scandalous and tawdry, but the people involved deserve this respect. The brand-new Storyville Museum in the French Quarter is an all-encompassing and loving look at the short-lived legalized prostitution and vice district of New Orleans and how it came to be. While the subject matter may not be suitable for all ages or belief systems, The Storyville Museum is not offensive nor indecent.
Throughout the eight large rooms of explanations, exhibits, and immersive areas, visitors are taken all the way back to the very founding of the city of New Orleans and how women of ill-repute or "correction girls" were shuttled off to the new colony to be wives to the rowdy men who first populated it. Lady sex workers were present throughout New Orleans' history, even setting up camp near battlefields and creating brothels decades before Storyville. The museum has well-researched exhibits explaining the history of The House of the Rising Sun, the history of the red light, and why and how the Storyville District came to be.
Entertainment of all kinds could be found between the casinos, saloons, bars, and beyond. I thoroughly enjoyed the emphasis on musical history as American music history has so much to do with jazz and ragtime, which may have been born in the brothels of the district. In fact, the research done for this museum found that during times when Storyville bars were shuttered and after its permanent closure, musicians had to travel away from the city to find gigs or play on riverboats, leading to jazz being heard far and wide and spreading its influence. Drug use was also common in this area, and opium dens were available to those wanting to partake.
The story of Storyville would not be complete without seeing the work of photographer E.J. Bellocq who captured striking and beautiful images of some sex workers in the area. His portraits are displayed in one exhibition and show the rooms, the lifestyle, and the ladies in an incredibly dignified way.
The titillating Storyville Museum is a must see for those wanting a true look at New Orleans history beyond the men who founded it and fought for it. These women and men played vital roles in shaping the city's culture into what it is today.