Louisiana Collection

Photographic artwork by Juli Loupe

The Louisiana Collection

Five classic Southern Louisiana themes on canvas

taken from the original hand-printed

silver halide photographs created in 1995

Click photos to enlarge

Brusly, Louisiana , West Baton Rouge Parish ~

Cinclare Sugar Mill was built from 1897 to 1906.

It was a self-sufficient "company town" mill with its own currency, plantation store, farm animals, staff housing, and railroad. The sugar-processing building was constructed with a steel frame and sheathed in corrugated metal.

The period 1880 to 1920 saw rampant industrial growth in Louisiana, including large-scale centralized sugar processing. Cinclare was one of the longest surviving complexes that illustrated the important role sugar played in the economy of the state's southern region. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Juli: This photo was taken during the height of sugar cane harvesting season with the mill running at full capacity 'round the clock. The night lighting gives the scene a charming warmth. Especially striking is the smoke bellowing from the towering chimney stack, and on the far right a hazy cloud of steam is released from the boiling of cane juice. On the far left are the leftover shredded cane husks being carried outside on a conveyor belt and dropped into a large pile. Husk dust can be seen blowing in the wind due to the brisk autumn night. Unharvested sugar cane is seen in the foreground, as well as empty cane trailers. Of unknown origin is an intriguing halo of a tall cross shape seen in the sky to the left of the chimney.

Cinclare Sugar Mill

Vacherie, Louisiana , St. James Parish ~

Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1978, Oak Alley was a thriving sugar cane plantation along the Mississippi River's Great River Road, at the midway point between New Orleans and Baton Rouge (55 miles each way). The classic Greek Revival mansion with wrap-around balcony and wrought-iron railings was completed in 1839.

Oak Alley gets its name from the 800-foot-long alley of twenty eight, 225 -year-old Live Oak trees, with trunks having up to a 30-foot girth. Appreciated for their majestic beauty and shade, Live Oaks are an iconic symbol of historic Southern Louisiana, with their huge, reaching, curvy branches and massive root structure.

Being an exquisite example of the Deep South Plantation home era, motion picture and TV productions were filmed at Oak Alley including "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" (1964), "Interview with the Vampire" (1994), "Primary Colors" (1998), and "Midnight Bayou" (2009).

Note from Juli: I wanted to capture the feel of this tunnel of amazing trees, thus filling the frame on the left with the roots and trunk, then one massive trunk after another cascading into the background. It is uncommon to see Live Oaks this old unless they are in a protected area like the long-standing plantation homes, or parks and state landmarks, but they are an indelible symbol of the Deep South.

Oak Alley

Prairieville, Louisiana , Ascension Parish ~

Fed by Bayou Manchac, Alligator Bayou was known for its boat tours and canoeing.

The Bald Cypress is the State Tree of Louisiana, famous for iconic swamp scenes, and a source of beautiful long-lasting dense wood for building and furniture.

A Cypress Knee is a distinctive feature generally seen on Bald Cypress trees growing in swamps. Forming above the roots, they are thought to provide structural buttressed support and stabilization.

One of the few deciduous conifer species in the world, Bald Cypress are essential to southeastern wetland areas, helping to reduce damage from flooding and erosion, and removing pollutants from the water.

Note from Juli: This photo was taken while canoeing in Alligator Bayou. I was captivated by the resemblance of the knees to people wearing robes floating across the water, accentuated by the outline of light. A layer of lightly colored algae, gives a snow-like appearance to the water.

Cypress Knees

St Louis Cathedral, rear courtyard, NewOrl

New Orleans, Louisiana , Orleans Parish ~

“Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France” is the second oldest cathedral in continuous use in the United States (1718). It is located next to Jackson Square in the renowned French Quarter and faces the Mississippi River. To each side of the Cathedral are the historic buildings the Cabildo, a 1799 historic government building and now museum, and the Presbytère, a 1791 multi-use building, now a museum housing an elaborate Mardi Gras collection.

Note from Juli: This striking scene of the larger than life shadow of Jesus with hands outstretched is one of my favorite night photographs. The huge shadow creates a mood of the omnipotence and omnipresence of the Divine.

Night photography has a surreal and dramatic appeal due to the high contrasts and silhouettes. My photography professoor, A. E. Woolley PhD, wrote the first book on “Night Photography” in 1956.

St. Louis Cathedral~
St. Anthony's Garden

New Bridge, Belle, Kidd, Baton Rouge.png

Baton Rouge, Louisiana , East Baton Rouge Parish ~

One of the most predominant and memorable skyline structures of downtown Baton Rouge is The Horace Wilkinson Bridge, locally known as “The New Bridge”, because it is the younger of two bridges that cross the Mississippi river in Baton Rouge, downstream of the older Huey P. Long Bridge. It is a cantilever bridge carrying 6 lanes of Interstate 10 across the river from Port Allen to Baton Rouge and is the highest bridge on the Mississippi River. The bridge opened in 1968 and is named after three Horace Wilkinsons (father, son, and grandson) who served a total of 54 years in the Louisiana legislature.

Moored on the Mississippi River, the Belle of Baton Rouge is a 268-foot, four-deck paddle wheel steamboat, and is Baton Rouge’s first casino (1994). In the 1800’s, paddle wheel steamboats were the main mode of transportation on the Mississippi and its tributaries, carrying both passengers and freight. After railroads superseded them in the 1900’s, paddle wheel boats were mainly used for entertainment excursions with music, dancing, and gambling.

AA National Historic Landmark, The USS Kidd is a highly successful Fletcher-class destroyer which carried a significant increase in firepower and armor plating. Originally commissioned in 1943, the Kidd served in World War II, the Korean War, and into the Vietnam War Era. She was decommissioned in 1964 and in 1982 became a museum ship and memorial in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

She is one of only four Fletcher-class destroyers still preserved as museums and the only destroyer returned to her original World War II configuration. Kidd is recognized as one of the most authentically restored vessels in the world by the Historic Naval Ships Association.

In 2018 USS Kidd was declared a Purple Heart Ship. The Purple Heart Medal is only awarded to members of the armed forces of the United States who have either been wounded or killed in action. The USS Kidd was struck by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft in 1945, which resulted in the loss of 38 of her crew and 55 wounded.

New Bridge, Belle, Kidd

Juli Loupe ~ I was born in New Orleans and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Since childhood I've loved "taking pictures" and got my first camera at age 10.

In college my passion for photography took off due to joining the yearbook staff. Having access to endless film, and for the first time utilizing a darkroom, the magic of image-creation stole my heart.

Years later I graduated from A.E. Woolley College of Photography in Baton Rouge. It was during this time that "The Louisiana Collection" photos were created.

In 1999 I moved to Malibu California to study with world-renowned yoga master Yogini Kaliji, founder of TriYoga. My photos of Yogini Kaliji appear in her books and website, as well as magazine covers/articles, and newsprint (samples below).