A New Orleans native, John H. Lawrence worked at the Historic New Orleans Collection for 46 years before retiring as director of museum programs in 2020. As HNOC’s head of curatorial collections, Lawrence had oversight of holdings numbering in excess of 500,000 items. He has written and lectured widely about aspects of contemporary and historic photography, and the administration and preservation of pictorial collections. He has also served as principal or guest curator for dozens of exhibitions on a variety of photographic, artistic, and general historical topics. Lawrence holds degrees in literature and art history from Vassar College.

Jessica Dorman is director of publications at the Historic New Orleans Collection. She earned her PhD in the History of American Civilization from Harvard University and has taught American literature and American Studies at Harvard, Penn State Harrisburg, and Trinity College (Hartford). At HNOC, where she has been on staff since 2004, she relishes the opportunity to publish deeply researched, beautifully designed works of nonfiction.