KnowLA is a comprehensive, dynamic online reference guide to the history and culture of Louisiana. The encyclopedia is accessible to anyone with a web-enabled device, free of charge.
Democrat Joshua Baker served as military governor of Louisiana from January to July 1868. Continue »
Baker, William Henry
William Henry Baker was a itinerant Grand Manner portrait painter active in the New Orleans area during the nineteenth century. Continue »
Balfa, Dewey
Dewey Balfa was a Cajun musician and cultural activist who emerged in the 1970s as an effective spokesman for the grassroots Cajun identity movement. Continue »
Barthé, Richmond
Richmond Barthé, raised in New Orleans, was a significant figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Much of Barthé's most celebrated sculptures are representations of the nude black male body. Continue »
Barthé, Earl
Earl Barthe was a fifth-generation architectural artisan who created architectural decorative plaster works. Continue »
Bartholomew, Dave
A pillar of New Orleans rhythm and blues (R&B) community, Dave Bartholomew is a trumpeter, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer, bandleader, and astute businessman. Continue »
Basketry - Native American
A hallmark of southeastern Indian societies, cane basketry traditions persist in fewer than ten contemporary tribal communities in the southeastern United States, including three in Louisiana. Continue »
Basso, Hamilton
New Orleans-born Hamilton Basso was an influential novelist and journalist, as well as part of the southern literary renaissance. Continue »
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra is eighty-five to ninety musicians strong, and plays more than sixty concerts in twelve different venues annually. Continue »
Battle of Baton Rouge
Entry covers first capture, battle and recapture of Baton Rouge during the Civil War. Continue »
Battle of Liberty Place
The Battle of Liberty Place, September 14, 1874, effectively brought an end of Reconstruction policies in Louisiana. Continue »
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans, fought on January 8, 1815, was the culmination of a monthlong series of skirmishes between U.S. and British forces in southern Louisiana; it was the final major engagement of the War of 1812. Continue »
Batz, Alexandre de
Alexandre de Batz created the earliest known images of Native Americans in the lower Mississippi valley from sketches he rendered while surveying Louisiana in the eighteenth century. Continue »
Beauregard, Pierre Gustave Toutant
P.G.T. Beauregard, born in St. Bernard Parish in 1818, was the first prominent general of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Continue »
Planter Arnaud Beauvais became acting governor of Louisiana from October 6, 1829, to January 14, 1830 Continue »
Bechet, Sidney
Clarinetist and soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet was one of the first great soloists of traditional New Orleans jazz. Continue »
Behrman, Martin
Martin Behrman was the longest serving mayor in New Orleans history. Continue »
Bellocq, E.J.
Photographer E.J. Bellocq gained fame after his death for his portraits of prostitutes in Storyville. Continue »
Benglis, Lynda
Born in Lake Charles, Lynda Benglis is an internationally renowned sculptor who is famous for her innovations in both materials and artistic process. Continue »
