Written and maintained by the Louis Armstrong Fellows.
As a Fellow at the Louis Armstrong House Museum and Archives I get to see first hand the personal belongings of Louis and Lucille Armstrong. Since beginning my fellowship, I have been fascinated with the Armstrongs’ record collection. For my first curated collection of images on the Collections website , I selected a few images... Continue Reading →
It's the early 1900s in New Orleans, the birthplace of Jazz, the fabled city of music. Nick Duquesne runs a gambling den and club in the Storyville district of New Orleans, where he soon meets Marilee Smith, a young beauty from the upper crust of society. Naturally, a romantic story is in the works here;... Continue Reading →
Louis Armstrong was an accomplished musician, composer, and singer. During his free time Louis played his trumpet, wrote jokes, and recorded over 700 reels of audio. But there is one hobby that Louis had that not many people know about- Louis loved to make collages. These collages were made from newspaper clippings & headlines, letters,... Continue Reading →
What if someone told you that there was a place where you could reenact putting out the Chicago Fire, travel the Old Wild West with cowboys, and revel in Mardi Gras all within one space? To top it all off, you can see the most famous names in show business perform live; Nat King Cole,... Continue Reading →
From decade to decade, times change drastically as we progress forward in society. No doubt, change is inevitable, but not all things change--at least not as quickly as one would hope. One such issue which seems to somehow continue to be a hot-button topic is marijuana. Marijuana, its legitimacy as a medicinal drug, the penal... Continue Reading →
It is no surprise to anyone that celebrities often get scrutinized for voicing unpopular opinions to the public. It is, in a sense, expected for some form of controversy to befall a much-adored public figure at some point in time. In the case of Louis Armstrong, he was no exception. When viewing Armstrong based on... Continue Reading →
Louis Armstrong lived from 1901 to 1971 and during his life he traveled over 300 days a year, which could take its toll on anyone physically. How did Pops do it? Well it was a combination of laxatives, a diet high in meat and rice, and entertaining people across the world on a nightly basis.... Continue Reading →
Unfettered Character: Louis’ Early years in New Orleans One of the benefits of living in modernity is the ability to look back onto bygone eras and feel the warmth of societal progress. To be able to feel as if we as a collective have come so far from behavior, actions, laws, and populist mindsets that... Continue Reading →
Last week was my introduction to being a fellow at the Louis Armstrong House Museum and Archives. I met a lot of new people, saw some old faces, and learned new things about the museum business and working at an archive. Beginning my job as a fellow at the museum and archives was both a... Continue Reading →
