Scope and Contents: This Kuntz finding aid covers Series 6: Theatre and opera, 1827-1928; Series 7: Carnival memorabilia, 1873-1936; Series 8: Printed and visual material, 1737-1910; Series 9: Newspapers, 1815-1894 and Series 10: Additions, 1719-1914 of the Kuntz collection.
The Kuntz collection consists of historical documents relating to the historical and cultural development of Louisiana and more specifically New Orleans. The materials date back as far as 1655 before the founding of Louisiana and continue onward through the French colonial period, the Spanish colonial period, and the National period to the mid-twentieth century. Documents include those from the Company of the Indies as well as the papers of Francisco Bouligny that describe early French and Spanish authority over Louisiana. The National period documents Louisiana's entry into the United States through the Civil War and its growth as a major commercial center. Materials in these three sections include correspondence, land sale documents, slave sales, plantation journals, orders, property sales, professional and family papers, legal documents, and land grants. The New Orleans municipal records (1805-1850s) include an 1805 census, license permits for business, tax receipts, and pay vouchers. There are also bonds posted by free people of color to secure permits to live in the First Municipality of the city. The small personal and family collections include those of John McDonogh, the Pontalba family, and Pierson family. The theater and opera materials consist of New Orleans theater and opera programs, primarily from the nineteenth century. Carnival material is made up of invitations and dance programs of various local krewes from late nineteenth century New Orleans. The printed and visual items consist of political broadsides, maps, engravings, and photographs. The newspaper collection contains copies of French-language newspapers of Louisiana and New Orleans and New Orleans newspapers printed during the Civil War. The last section consists of additions to the collection as a whole.