Ernest Joseph Bellocq

photographer

American^[1] b. 19 August 1873, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States^[1] d. 3 October 1949, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.^[1] active 1895–1940

Ernest Joseph Bellocq (1873–1949) was an American professional photographer who worked primarily in New Orleans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for his haunting and evocative portraits of prostitutes in Storyville, New Orleans' legalized red-light district, which were captured around 1912. Bellocq worked as a commercial photographer for local shipyards and other businesses, but his most significant artistic contribution—the Storyville portraits—remained largely unknown until they were discovered by collector Lee Friedlander after Bellocq's death. His work is characterized by its sensitive lighting and atmospheric quality, capturing the lives of marginalized women with a degree of dignity that has made them subjects of intense scholarly and artistic interest.^[1,2,3]

• Storyville
• prostitution
• New Orleans
• portraiture