The image in this blog “Mississippi River Ferry” is a recent addition to our ferry collection. When we first saw this photo it appealed to us in terms of the composition. The dock, the ferry, the river and the seagull in the left of the scene make this work. The question for us, as is the case most of the time, was where and when? The construction of the ferry speaks to the southern part of the Mississippi River. That was clear. But was it a crossing in Mississippi, perhaps Natchez, or further south into Louisiana? There are so many crossings. What we were unable to see until the the image went into photo editing was the sign on the building across the river in the left of the frame. “Algiers Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co.” Problem solved, New Orleans! Today the new kid on the block, for about the last 70 years, is Bollinger. Various companies have been in that location since the mid 1800s. These are the times when the satisfaction for us is greater when we are able to answer a where or when question or both in addition to appreciation of the image itself.
“Mississippi River Ferry“; New Orleans, Louisiana c.1930
