Archive of 46 original photographs of damages and repair work on the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad [NONE] after a flood, circa 1890s

N.p.: N.p., 1890. Archive of 46 vintage photographs documenting damages and repair work along the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad (NONE) in Louisiana and Mississippi after a flood. Photographs taken on a No. 2 Kodak box camera, produced from 1889 to 1897, and dating the archive to the late 19th century.

NONE was incorporated in Louisiana in 1868 and in Mississippi in 1871, originally called the Mandeville and Sulphur Springs Railroad, before changing its name in 1870. Although preliminary surveys were completed in 1871 and 1872, a severe depression delayed the track's construction, and the company land lay empty until the railroad was acquired by the Alabama, New Orleans, Texas, and Pacific Junction Railways Company in 1881. The line would open in 1883, extending 196 miles from New Orleans to Meridian, Mississippi, and traveling through towns such as Slidell and Little Woods, Louisiana, as well as over Pearl River and Lake Pontchartrain.

As a whole the photographs are bright and well-executed, with a keen eye for detail. Approximately a third of the images document railroad employees and various people encountered along the line, with the balance capturing flooded landscapes, railroad tracks, and buildings. Notable among the set are a number of images of African American maintenance workers, and one photograph of white and Black men standing outside a Western Union telegraph office. Several of the photographs appear to have been shot from the railroad while moving, and this, along with the relatively substantial price of the Kodak No. 2 box camera, suggest that the photographer was an employee of NONE, tasked with documenting the repairs "from the road."

All told, a compelling archive, presenting a firsthand account of railway maintenance and the disastrous effect of flooding in the rural south in the late 19th century.

5.25 x 4.5 inches, mounted to stiff beige and gray cardboard, with photographs measuring 3.5 inches in diameter. Generally Very Good to Good, some with light bruising along the top edges, and some light dampstaining on the edges and light age toning on the margins.