A Girl's Life in New Orleans - (Hill Collection: Holdings of the Lsu Libraries) by Hans C Rasmussen (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The Diary of Ella Grunewald is an edited version of Grunewald's journal, which is part of the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collection at LSU's Hill Memorial Library. Expertly annotated and introduced by Hans C. Rasmussen, Grunewald's diary covers her life in New Orleans from 1884 to 1886, when she was an older teenager. Ella was the daughter of Louis Grunewald, one of the Crescent City's leading sheet music publishers and musical instrument dealers. In her journal, Grunewald recorded events concerning her family, friendships, formal schooling, private musical education, and social life. She frequently also describes illness, death, and other tragedies. Although she focuses mainly on the classical music scene in New Orleans, Grunewald includes detailed descriptions of theater shows, Carnival balls and parades, Catholic religious observances, and the World's Fair that the city hosted in 1884. Providing additional context, Rasmussen also includes a shorter journal Ella Grunewald kept of her family's travels in Italy and Germany in the Spring of 1890. In it, she describes visits to Catholic churches, museums, Roman ruins, and other tourist attractions. During the latter part of the journey, she contracted malaria, falling ill when the family reached Verona in mid-June. They traveled on to Austria and Germany, where Ella died in early July at age twenty-two. The Diary of Ella Grunewald documents the day-to-day life of an upper-middle-class teenager in New Orleans at the end of the nineteenth century. As a rare primary source on American and southern girlhood, it is sure to be a valuable resource to historians. It should also appeal to general readers, and especially to teenagers"--

Book Synopsis

A Girl's Life in New Orleans presents the diary of Ella Grunewald, an upper-middle-class teenager in New Orleans at the end of the nineteenth century. Grunewald, the daughter of one of the Crescent City's leading music dealers, used her journal to record the major events of her day-to-day life, documenting family, friendships, schooling, musical education, and social activities. Her entries frequently describe illness, death, and other tragedies. Though attentive to the city's classical music scene, Grunewald also recounts theater shows, Carnival balls and parades, Catholic religious observances, and the World's Fair that the city hosted in 1884.

Expertly annotated and introduced by Hans Rasmussen, Grunewald's journal is a rare window on the life of a young woman in the South between 1884 and 1886. Adding depth to that account, Rasmussen includes a shorter journal Grunewald kept of her family's travels in Italy and Germany in the spring of 1890. In it, she describes visits to Catholic churches, museums, Roman ruins, and other tourist attractions. Tragically, Grunewald contracted malaria during the latter part of the journey and died overseas at age twenty-two.

About the Author

Hans Rasmussen is head of Special Collections Technical Services at LSU Libraries in Baton Rouge.