Podcast 45 features a Boyd Cruise painting of The Arsenal building on St. Peter Street.

“The Arsenal” by Boyd Cruise

Alvik Boyd Cruise painted the Old State Armory, better known as The Arsenal, in 1941. Located directly behind the Cabildo, the city built the Arsenal in 1839. Cruise visualizes it here in the 1850s.

The Pod

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PDF here.

New Orleans Military

The city’s armory was naturally a focal point for troops stationed in the city. Like most of his paintings, Cruise created an active street scene on St. Peter Street. We see two Cavalrymen on the left. The rider of the brown horse is a trooper, possibly an aide or batman to the officer on the white horse. In the doorway stand two soldiers, possibly artillerymen, since the Arsenal stored cannon along with small arms.

The soldier in red is likely a member of a local militia company. Since they were raised by the city and/or state, they didn’t have to follow army uniform regulations. These units often chose colors reflecting their French/Spanish roots. On the right, another soldier is in conversation with a woman. He wears a uniform similar to the men in the doorway. He’s doffed his shako to talk to the lady.

The Story

What are they talking about? I just love these #writingprompts Cruise offers. I wonder if he had something in mind, or if he just left these as blank pages for us to fill in later. What do you think? Comment here or on Facebook or Bluesky and tell us the story. We need to start some literary zine or something to draw ideas out of y’all.

As in many of his paintings, Cruise includes a child in the scene. This provides scale, and it also shows what kids were u to, antebellum. This black boy is likely enslaved, as he would be in school if he was free. Therefore, an enslaved boy has a lot of unstructured time. While his mom likely works for a household nearby. He’s out on the street to get out of her way, and maybe promote a hustle or two.

So, here’s a zoom-in on the street activity

Shout-outs

Louisiana State Museum

Storyville Museum

Beyond Bourbon Street Podcast

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