624. Part 2 of Ed Branley's
return to the porch to talk about the 200th anniversary of the
Marquis de
Lafayette's visit to America in 1825. Fifty years after the
Revolutionary War, Lafayette returned for a triumphant tour of the
United States. Nowhere was he more welcome than in his visit to
Louisiana. Ed is a volunteer docent at the Cabildo Museum in Jackson
Square, and the Museum has a fantastic eshibit commemorating the
occasion.
"Bienvenue Lafayette. Thu, April 10, 2025 -
Sun, January 18, 2026. Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the
Marquis de Lafayette’s Visit to Louisiana. Lafayette's tour was marked
by public celebrations, music, and the creation of commemorative items,
making him a precursor to modern celebrity. One notable stop was his
five-day visit to New Orleans in April 1825, where city officials spared
no expense, spending the equivalent of $450,000 to transform the
Cabildo into lavish accommodations for Lafayette, symbolizing the city's
growing significance in the United States.
"To
commemorate the bicentennial of Lafayette's tour, the Louisiana State
Museum presents Bienvenue Lafayette from April 10, 2025, to January 18,
2026, opening on the exact 200th anniversary of his arrival in New
Orleans. The exhibition features artifacts, documents, and works of art
from local and national collections, and offers visitors insight into
Lafayette's legacy as a champion of liberty, democracy, and the
abolition of slavery. This exhibition deepens the public's understanding
of Lafayette's impact on both the United States and France and
highlights New Orleans' role in the broader historical narrative" (
Cabildo).