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SUMMARY

BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE

Ronald A. Smith, New Orleans, La., donated these twenty-four (24) glass plate negatives, dated circa 1890, to the LSU Libraries. None of the images have any subject or location information associated with them, with the exception of two images. These two images have the names Charles A. Theil and John E. Theil and “N.O.” scratched in the negatives’ emulsion.

Charles A. Theil, born in Saxony, 1842, first appears in New Orleans in 1867. The 1870 census lists the then 28 year old Charles as married and working as a clerk at the customs house. By 1874, Charles had become the manager of the United States Bonded Warehouse #6, Nos. 143, 145, 147 and 149 Front Street (between Fulton and South Peters, Julia and Saint Joseph). The following year he became the proprietor of the same warehouse and of the Montgomery Warehouse (115 Fulton). By 1884 Charles had become the proprietor of the United States Bonded Warehouse #1, Crescent Warehouse, (Tchoupitoulas, between Julia and Saint Joseph) and Montgomery Warehouse. In 1889 the Crescent Warehouse was owned by Hearn & Riffel; Charles Theil retained proprietorship of the #1 and Montgomery Warehouses. In 1891 Charles is listed as the proprietor of U S Bonded Warehouse #1, Montgomery Warehouse #2, Sugar and Molasses Warehouse, and Iron Warehouses, with a parenthetical reference to Rice, though whether Rice refers to a commodity or to a family name is unknown. By 1895 Charles is listed as proprietor of U S Bonded Warehouse, Dairy, Sugar and Molasses Warehouse, and Iron Warehouses, with the same enigmatic reference to Rice. By the 1904, the year of his death, Charles was listed as the president of the United Warehouse Co. Ltd., 815 Fulton, which was the owner of:

1. Daisy, United Warehouse Co. Ltd. propr., 843 South Peters;

2. Iron, United Warehouse Co. Ltd. propr., 861 Fulton;

3. Keystone, United Warehouse Co. Ltd. propr., 804 Fulton;

4. Mississippi, United Warehouse Co. Ltd. propr., 814 Fulton;

5. Montgomery, United Warehouse Co. Ltd. proprs., 815 Fulton;

6. Rebecca, United Warehouse Co. Ltd. proprs., Fulton corner Julia.

The New Orleans city directory lists a John Theil as early as 1871 but this John Theil is listed as a saloon worker or bartender. It isn’t until 1889 that a John E. Theil is listed as a clerk in the Montgomery Bonded Warehouse, owned by Charles Theil. As Charles’ only surviving son was named Charles, Jr., it seems likely that John E. Theil was perhaps a relative; John’s residence is listed as the same as Charles’. John E. Thiel is listed variously as clerk, bookkeeper, or assistant manager of the warehouse through 1900 when his name disappears from the record.

Charles and John Theil may have been amateur photographers associated with the New Orleans Camera Club. The Camera Club first appears in the city directory in 1889 (“New Orleans Camera Club, meets at Tulane University. H. T. Howard, president; C. H. Fenner, secretary, 105 Gravier; P. E. Carriere, treasurer”). The Camera Club stopped being listed in the city directory as of the 1900 edition.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection consists of twenty-four (24) glass plate negatives from which twenty-four (24) resin-coated paper prints were made in 2003. Interpositives and internegatives were also created at that time for all twenty-four (24) negatives. Most of the images cover subjects in New Orleans and Louisiana.

SERIES AND SUBSERIES DESCRIPTIONS

INDEX TERMS

CONTAINER LIST